Generations of War
by SekushiXelda
Summary: This was my National Novel Writing Month piece for 2011, as well as my 2012 National Novel Editing Month project. The premise is to show how the Xiaolin and Heylin war moves down through generations and how family ties can influence people's decisions.
1. Prologue

Prologue - The End

For hundreds of thousands of years, an epic war has been waged between two rival forces; Xiaolin and Heylin. Over 1,500 years ago, the greatest Xiaolin warrior in history, Grand Master Dashi, created hundreds of mystical objects that he named Shen Gong Wu and used them to defeat the mighty Heylin witch, Wuya. After the battle, Dashi realized that his creations were far too powerful for corrupt hands to possess. Thus, he hid them by spreading them across the globe, hoping that evil would never find them.

Unfortunately, many years later, Wuya escaped Dashi's entrapment. Although her powers had been weakened, she joined forces with a young human boy named Jack Spicer in an attempt to conquer the world. The unlikely pair began to search for the Shen Gong Wu to restore Wuya's strength and defeat the Xiaolin forever.

Simultaneously, a new line of warriors had begun their training at the Xiaolin Temple to become the elemental dragons that would combat evil. After battling for many years against Jack, Wuya and many other villains, these warriors in training became dragons in their own right. Omi, the dragon of water; Kimiko, the dragon of fire and Clay, the dragon of earth were all led by Raimundo, the grand dragon of wind, and became the saviors of a world which was hardly even aware of their existence.

The team gathered the Shen Gong Wu and waged a war against the forces of evil. Multiple smaller struggles eventually led to one great battle, with the young dragons fighting valiantly against dozens of foes.

Many years have passed since the massive battle between the dragons and their enemies took place. Afterwards, the four were able to gather the remaining Shen Gong Wu nearly unopposed. Soon, only two of the items remained out of their possession. One had yet to be discovered and the other belonged to Jack Spicer.

The battle for this last Shen Gong Wu would become the final Xiaolin showdown. Could this bring an end to the seemingly eternal war between the Xiaolin and Heylin forces? Could the abuse of Dashi's mystical objects finally be ended? The dragon warriors could only hope.

Soon, very soon, The End was approaching.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Loss of a Dragon

Raimundo sat next to the Shen Gong Wu scroll for what seemed like hours in agonizing anticipation. Patience had never been his strongest virtue. He began to shuffle uncomfortably in his seat, tapping his fingers against the desk upon which the scroll rested.

Meanwhile, Omi was enjoying an afternoon stroll through the temple when he passed by the scroll's chamber, noticing Raimundo seated at the desk. He was instantly puzzled and approached his friend to inquire upon his business, as was often his habit.

"Raimundo, what are you doing? Are you studying the scrolls? Why are you not outside playing soccer or snooping around Kimiko's room while she is busy?" He popped his head up next to Raimundo's face and stared at his friend with his beady little black eyes.

"You know as well as I do why I'm here Omi. We don't know when the last Shen Gong Wu will reveal itself, so we have to be ready when it does. If Jack gets his hands on it before we do, then this war will just keep going on. All I want this to be over with," he put his face into his hands and sighed heavily.

Omi could sense his friend's stress and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Raimundo, please do not feel frustrated. We have all made mistakes and done wrong. Well, apart from me of course," he grinned widely at his self-compliment, "Just because you are our," he cringed with the small amount of jealousy that remained whenever he brought up the topic, "…leader does not mean that you should blame yourself for every hurdle that we must face."

Raimundo glared, almost menacingly, at Omi, but softened his gaze when he saw his friend's kind face. "Look man, I get that you're trying to help me, and I appreciate it. But it's my fault that Jack still has the Monkey Staff and you know it. I was the leader during that battle. I was the one who let him get away because I didn't send anyone to catch him. I shouldn't have let him go, regardless of whether or not he was a threat. He's fighting for evil! And besides, who knows? He may not have been a threat back then, but he could have gotten stronger since. We've lost Wu to him before. I don't want that to happen again," his gaze returned to the scroll as he slouched forwards on the desk.

Omi opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off when he heard a laborious cough come from down the hallway. Master Fung slowly entered the room, rolling his wheelchair forward with great effort.

The old man's legs had been crippled during the great battle and soon afterwards he had contracted an illness which left him weak and feeble. Yet, he never ceased to be a force of wisdom and encouragement to his young students.

"You must not despair, my young dragon. You have all fought valiantly in many battles and have grown to become powerful warriors. No matter how strong your enemy has become, you must always remain certain that they will not surpass you. Lose faith in yourself and you are sure to fail," the elder smiled at his student to assure him not to lose hope.

Raimundo returned his master's gesture with a small, sheepish grin, "I know Master Fung. It's just that I'm the one in charge now, and I feel like I need to be a better leader," his head drooped down onto the desk in defeat.

"Fear not, young dragon," Master Fung began to cough severely before he could finish his sentence. Omi rushed over to him and put a hand on his back.

"Master, are you going to be all right?" The young monk looked up at his teacher with great concern.

Master Fung gave another comforting smile, "You should not fear either, Omi. I will be fine. In a few minutes I will take my afternoon nap, so that I may regain my strength. But, Raimundo…"

Raimundo pulled his head up from the desk and swiveled around to meet his teacher's gaze, "Yes, Master Fung?"

The wise elder nodded to him reassuringly, "You are a great leader. I have trained many dragons, and I can see the potential that rests within you. Why do you think I chose you to be the grand dragon?"

Omi frowned slightly and dropped his hand from Master Fung's back. Raimundo smiled proudly at his master's words.

The moment of sentiment was interrupted as Dojo slithered hastily into the room, "Master Fung! So this is where you've been!" The dragon leaped onto Master Fung's head and wrapped his arms tightly around the old man's bald skull, "Don't go running away from me like that! What would I do if you got yourself hurt?"

Master Fung rolled his eyes and patted Dojo's head affectionately, "You do not need to worry about me as much as you do Dojo."

The little dragon's eyes snapped open in shock. He twisted Master Fung's head with his tiny hands to make direct eye contact, "Don't need to worry about you? Don't need to worry? You are sick, and I am going to take good care of you until you get better, Mister! Now you get in your bed this instant and take your nap!"

Omi and Raimundo glanced at each other and giggled quietly. Master Fung overheard them and shot the pair a frightening scowl, causing them to stop immediately and straighten their posture.

Dojo sat on the back of Master Fung's chair and held the handles, as if to push it, although his body could not reach the floor. The elderly man obeyed and wheeled himself out of the room.

The two monks stared at each other silently for another minute before Omi decided to leave Raimundo alone once again. The small man stopped in the doorway and spoke to his friend, without taking a moment to glimpse back, "Master Fung is right, Raimundo. You truly are a great leader."

Raimundo was taken aback by his friend's praise, but smiled after taking a second to process it, "Thanks Omi. That means a lot coming from you, little dude."

Omi chuckled and left the room without another word.

Left again in solitude, Raimundo turned back towards the scroll sitting on the desk and placed his chin in his hands. He rested his eyes and began to slow his breathing in meditation. Entering a tranquil state, his mind was able to focus on the task that would soon be at hand.

It would not be long now. The final Shen Gong Wu would make itself known.

He began to sort through the thoughts running amuck in his mind. _Man, I really hope this fight will turn out well. This battle could put an end to all these years of war. We can't afford to screw this up. It all depends on how strong Jack has become…_

_Wait a minute. _He flicked one of his hands back, as if to clear his mind, as things came into perspective. _This is Jack Spicer we're talking about! Chill out Rai, you've got nothing to worry about. That bumbling oaf can't beat four full-fledged dragon warriors. He could hardly stand up to us when we were dragons in training. Why am I so worried? _

The young warrior chuckled as he imagined his rival and realized that his fears had been pointless. _I bet he's just prancing around his lab right now, wasting his time building some more useless robots or inventing some stupid new theme song for himself. _

Jack tossed his wrench across the room in frustration, "Argh! Why won't this stupid thing work?"

He uncurled his Monkey Staff-generated tail from around one of the pipes on his ceiling and dropped to the floor. Straightening himself after landing, he glared curiously at his newly developed Jackbot's face, searching for possible reasons as to why it would not function properly.

This new version of his classic robot looked almost identical to the old. The only difference in its outward appearance was a simple change in color palate.

However, the important alterations had not been made to the exterior of the robot, but the interior. New hidden weaponry and an upgraded intelligence chip made this new robot exponentially more menacing than its outdated counterpart.

After giving the machine a short inspection, inspiration struck Jack like a bolt of lightning.

He swiftly removed the robot's control chip and dashed across the room to grab his screwdriver. Like the mad scientist that he was, he began screwing and unscrewing bolts on the tiny piece of metal with fiendish precision until achieving the changes that he desired.

He placed the modified chip back into his robot's cranial compartment and softly closed the protective lid. Grinning like a fiend, he grasped the remote control that rested on a nearby desk and flicked the power switch into the "on" position.

The machine's eyeball-like headlights flickered on and it began to rise into the air. It made a harsh, ringing beep as its eyes flashed a bloody red.

Looking at it, one would instantly be put on guard. The robot looked ready to attack the first thing that it saw move.

Fortunately, Jack was holding the controls, and the robotic slave could not deny its programming. It hovered before its master obediently, waiting patiently for a command.

Jack stomped his feet and leaped up and down in ape-like excitement, screeching as if he were truly the animal that he appeared to be. The robot had no reaction and stared at him blankly.

The young genius ceased his chanting momentarily to observe his motionless machine. Glancing down at the remote control, Jack flicked the large trigger in the middle of the metal box and peered up at his robot through his protective goggles. The machine put its oversize hand to its chest and began to give a monotone laugh, bouncing up and down in the air. A cryptic, twisted grin slowly crawled across the man's face as he paraded around his lab and chanted like an ape once more.

Suddenly, the sound of high heels clicking heavily against wooden stairs snapped Jack back to reality. A knock on his door and the sound of his mother's voice sent him into a state of panic, "Oh Jack! Sweetie! Can I come in, Dear?"

"No! Give me a minute Mom!" He screeched, but snapped his hands over his mouth immediately after.

He used his tail to toss the Monkey Staff across the room into a dusty corner. This caused Jack to lose the furry appendage only seconds after the item left its grasp.

He dashed over to the table holding all of his tools and hastily shoved the sharpest ones into their protective cases. His mother never wanted him to use sharp objects, even going so far as to monitor him whenever he used scissors as a child. Her overprotective nature had forced him to hide many of his activities from her sight, which included practicing with the Shen Gong Wu for battle.

Even after years of having to hide activities that other children could perform on a whim, Jack still had trouble making excuses whenever his mother caught him off guard. Luckily, she had never seen one of the Shen Gong Wu. At least, if she had, she hadn't thought anything of it.

_Ugh, she's ridiculous. Thank goodness she never saw the Golden Tiger Claws..._ Jack thought to himself as he slid his goggles onto his forehead and tweaked some of the controls on his robot, causing its eyes to change from a deadly red glare to a soft white light.

His mother's knuckles rapped against the door once again, slightly louder this time, "Jack? Are you all right in there? What's going on? I'm coming in."

Jack's mother opened the door slowly and was greeted by the sight of her son casually propped against his newest robot. She sighed in relief that the crashing noises she had heard earlier were not as dangerous and destructive as they sounded.

She would never quite understand why her son built robots in their basement for fun. She would prefer that he spend more time playing with his friends. Still, she knew that Jack was a unique individual, and could not blame him for being different. It was better that he be a smart man rather than a delinquent, regardless of his hobbies.

Although, it was not clear to her what all of those hobbies were exactly. _He must do more than just build robots all day, right? _She often thought to herself.

"Hi Mom," Jack smiled pleasantly at his mother to cover up his irritation with her interruption.

"Hi Sweetheart," she approached the guardrail that surrounded the balcony at the top of the stairs, "Is that a new robot that you just built?" She inquired about his levitating kick-stand.

_No, it's not new. It's just updated. I make dozens of these Jackbots on a regular basis and she doesn't even recognize them? As if she even cares about my robots. She's just making casual, innocent banter. _

Jack had to suppress the exasperated sigh that crept up his nose to answer his mother without throwing sarcasm into his voice. He did not want to sound rude to his parent.

"Not exactly. It's just a remake of my basic model. I call it my, new and improved, Jackbot 2.0!" He stepped to the side and held out his hands to give his creation a dramatic introduction.

His mother did her best not to show embarrassment at her son's overly eccentric demeanor.

She often felt that his mannerisms far too bizarre to be healthy. He was surely insane in some form of the word. It made her feel ashamed and insulted that he had never grown out of his silly, childlike behaviors.

Besides that, he was completely anti-social as of late; locking himself up in his so called "laboratory" to create robots for hours on end. He never spoke to anyone voluntarily and only came out of his hole to retrieve food. All he seemed to do was thump around the basement every day, living off of pudding cups and whatever else he took from the fridge upstairs when no one was around.

She was fed-up with his hermit lifestyle. It was no longer out of a mother's love that she wanted him to change. Over the years, she had become less concerned with wanting what was best for him, instead developing a desire for him to be normal so that he would not be a disgrace to her.

However, she behaved in a way that did not make this known to her son by hiding her frustration with false curiosity, as she always did when confronted with these situations, "A Jackbot? How cute, you named them after yourself. What does it do?" She smiled innocently, adding a charming tilt of the head to top it off.

Her cluelessness and simple-minded gestures only irritated Jack all the more. He could not stand when people acted that way. He felt that it was an insult to all human intelligence, which just so happened to include himself.

_Ew. Why does she have to be such a ditz whenever I talk about my machines? It's obvious that she doesn't really care, which is why she shouldn't even bother to ask. It's like she's mocking me. She's the one who said I needed a hobby. _

The young man decided to ignore his mother's mindless behavior and proceed directly to answering her pointless question, "Whatever I want it to!"

He hastily grasped the remote control to his invention, but stopped to think before showing it off. _Crap! This robot's designed mainly for battle. I can't show her any of its best functions, and she won't appreciate its rather impressive evil laugh. Let's see… _Jack struggled for ideas on what to show his mother to display his machine's capabilities.

After a speedy deliberation, he decided to stick with something simple, knowing that his mother would feign an impressed reaction no matter what he showed her.

"Just check this out!" Jack pressed buttons and jiggled triggers wildly on the robot's controls, as if playing a video game. The machine sprang to life and floated up to his mother's level, blankly staring directly at her face, as would a curious child.

"Now, ask him to get you something," he instructed his mother from below.

For a minute, the woman was taken aback by the metal creature's face.

The material that composed it was by no means unpleasant. It was well polished and clean. What puzzled and nearly repulsed her was the design of its body and the colors that it had been painted. The thing was splattered with red flame-like patterns on its oddly massive hands, making it look as though it had just committed a murder.

There seemed to be nothing appealing to her about its shape. It was wide and bulky, with a massive, saucer-like disc atop its head like a hat. It had large lights on its face (she assumed they were eyes), which were cut into half circles by its disk-hat. The robot as a whole looked to her like it was the torso of a man with massive pectorals and hands who had been severed at the waste.

All in all, it served as a truly gruesome image.

Yet, she did not want to discourage her son's inventiveness and played along, "All right. Um…Please go and bring me Jack's coat, Mr. Jackbot 2.0," she spoke softly, to keep her son from overhearing.

The robot made a gentle beep of compliance and floated back towards Jack, who immediately became suspicious.

"H-hey wait," he stammered, "What did you tell him? What's going on?"

He let out a squirrely scream as the robot's massive hands proceeded to rip off his black lab coat. Jack wrapped his arms around his chest, which was now covered in nothing more than a musty, white muscle shirt as the machine carried his cloak up to the woman in waiting.

His mother grinned devilishly as she swiped the coat from the Jackbot's grasp and waved it triumphantly through the air, "Ha ha! I've got your coat!" She shouted down at her ashamed son.

Jack's face began to flush a similar shade of red as his spiky hair and he stomped his boots against the floor, "Hey! Give that back! Come on Mom!" He begged and threw out his hands in a pleading gesture.

His mother felt like a dictator as she watched her defenseless son beg like a little boy. His immaturity only further insulted her and she decided that she would not tolerate it without gaining something from him in return.

"I will only give you your coat back if you promise to come eat dinner with the two of us tonight."

Jack shuddered at her words. He knew that the "two" of which she spoke included herself and her boyfriend, whom he could not stand.

Her lover was nothing more than a high school jock that had gotten older and happened to be able to make a decent living. Sure, the man had a job in construction and was a useful connection when it came to gathering scrap metal for his robots. But, other than that, all the imbecile ever did was harass Jack for being skinny, pale and uninterested in sports.

The man was a little too in love with football and constantly invited people over to their house to party and drink beer during football season, which only created further tension between the two.

The constant noise combined with drunks stumbling into the basement while he was working made Jack feel violated and neglected. He especially hated having to help his mother clean the house after said parties were over. To put it lightly, their bathroom never smelled quite the same as it had before the couple had gotten together. A faint stench of vomit and stale urine seemed to remain no matter how much air freshener they used.

Furthermore, Jack had no interest in drinking or watching football, which seemed to be an insult to all things masculine in the eyes of his mother's boyfriend.

Still, it was only one meal. It probably wouldn't kill him. And the last thing he wanted was someone stealing his coat. He felt that he had lost enough in his life.

"All right Mom. I'll eat dinner with you," he sighed, "Now may I please have my coat back?"

Jack's mother was very proud that her son had finally remembered his manners, "Yes you may, Sweetie," her smile softened as she tossed the coat down to her son.

"Dinner will be ready in half an hour. Don't forget to wash your hands," she walked away and delicately closed the door behind her.

Jack grumbled as he tossed his coat back over his shoulders and slid his arms in, "There goes the dinner of pudding and cold pizza that I was looking forward to. Thanks a lot, Mom!"

He adjusted his collar and beckoned Jackbot 2.0 back to the ground level. It obeyed, without giving a second thought as to the fight that it had just witnessed.

However, sensing its master's distress, the robot approached Jack as he collapsed over his workbench, head hidden in his crossed arms, "Would you like something to drink Sir; a glass of milk perhaps?"

The machine had been instinctively programmed to know Jack's favorite thing to drink after every situation. The small sliding panel on its chest cavity opened, allowing a serving tray to present itself; upon which rested a full, chilled glass.

"Is it chocolate milk?" Jack gave a muffled inquiry through his sleeves, refusing to come out of his pout.

"Naturally, Sir. Nothing but the best for you." The robot gave a monotone response, but somehow seemed proud of its judgment when Jack took the glass from its tray and chugged the chocolate milk in one massive gulp.

Jack swallowed his drink greedily, sighed and then smiled at his obedient creation, "Thanks. You can go into sleep mode for n-"

A sudden, harsh screeching broke him off in mid sentence. He immediately recognized the alarm and allowed a demonic grin to creep across his face.

The Jackbot seemed puzzled, as the sound was new to it. Jack noticed its confusion and was happy to explain, "That nap will have to wait 2.0. We've got work to do."

Dojo was curled up atop Master Fung's large forehead, joining the old man in an afternoon nap when he was awakened by a violent trembling within his gullet. The dragon's tail began to shake and his scales stood on end. He was instantly put on edge and jolted upright, realizing without a doubt what this sign meant. He needed to act immediately.

_It's time…_He dashed off to gather the young warriors.

Clay and Kimiko sat leisurely on the temple training grounds, with Omi hanging upside-down from one of the various wooden structures scattered across the field. The trio had planned on training, but had instead decided to relax and discuss their leader's stress.

"Is there really anything we can do about Rai?" Kimiko uncrossed her legs and hugged them lightly, "I mean, he's always been stubborn. I don't think he'd even listen to all three of us with something as important as this on the line."

Clay shrugged his shoulders in exasperation, "I dunno Kimiko. I reckon that if we all went and gave 'im some kinda intervention, he might be willin' ta take a break," the words of his heavy southern drawl sounded kind in nature, but were speckled with an air of uncertainty.

"I don't know Clay," Kimiko sensed his apprehension, and did not disagree, "Omi went to talk to him earlier, and it didn't solve anything. Did it?" She glanced up at Omi, who swung his torso backward and descended from his perch with a smooth back flip.

The little monk frowned and nodded forlornly, "Yes. I am sad to say that even my masterful comforting skills were unable to bring our friend Raimundo out of his depriving stump."

Kimiko and Clay looked at Omi blankly for a moment, attempting to process what phrase he had just butchered.

The gears in Clay's head grinded, and he was slowly able to decipher the words. He jumped a bit in a jolt of realization, and then leaned over to Kimiko's ear, muttering, "I suppose he was meanin' a 'depressive slump' there."

Kimiko's eyes widened as it clicked with her and she nodded in affirmation, "Got it."

"But it still ain't helpin' our cause none," the cowboy continued, "I figure we outta at least try talkin' ta Rai and-" his sentence was cut off by the speedy approach of their ally, Dojo.

His arrival would have been met with happy greetings by the warriors under any normal circumstances. However, the dragon's expression already warned them that the reason for his appearance was by no means normal. An obvious stress was painted across his face and the vertical angle of the scales on his back only added to his intensity.

The warriors all instantly gained the same idea of what was wrong, and Dojo simply confirmed their suspicions.

"Guys, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we gotta go. It's time," his calm voice felt eerie and haunting as it entered the group's ears.

The three looked each other in the eyes, nodded and dashed off to grab Raimundo.

The grand dragon warrior was hunched over the same desk as before, looking less than intimidating as he drooled down his cheek and arm. Shockingly, the sound of Clay's cowboy boots stomping against the temple's wooden floors was not enough to wake Raimundo from his impromptu snooze.

Omi was the first to arrive in the room, skittering around the threshold and launching himself onto Raimundo's shoulders. With great haste, he violently shook the sleeping man in an effort to get some sort of reaction.

The shaking did little. Raimundo simply shifted his head in the other direction and forcefully shoved away the minor annoyance, launching his friend to the floor in the process.

As Kimiko, Clay and Dojo slid into the doorway, Omi screamed and plummeted to the hard floor. Clay shrugged his tense shoulders and decided that he had no choice but to intervene.

Bolting up to their sleeping leader, he grabbed the back of Raimundo's chair with his massive hand and twisted it around, causing the seated body to flop around like a ragdoll. The cowboy took in a huge gasp of air and released every ounce in one immense shout, "Raimundo! Wake up! Dojo's got somethin' ta say!"

Everyone except the unsuspecting victim covered their ears to protect themselves. Raimundo was forcefully thrust out of his sleep as his head and hair were blown sideways by Clay's horrendous screech. With his ears still ringing, Raimundo used his hands to straighten his head and fix his mop of hair.

Then, after the initial shock had subsided, the meaning of Clay's words triggered a response in his head. He quickly twisted the chair back around and yanked the Shen Gong Wu scroll open. It magically found its place at the last segment as the group crowded around to see.

"The End," Dojo spoke ominously.

Everyone was puzzled, "Yeah, we know it's the end of the scroll Dojo. Now what is it?" Raimundo rolled his eyes sarcastically, thinking that this was certainly no time to be making jokes.

The dragon felt a drop of sweat roll down his forehead, "That is _it_."

The warriors looked at each other, confusion written all over their faces. Dojo noticed, sighed and concluded that he would need to clarify, "The End. It's the name of the Shan Gong Wu that just revealed itself. Its name makes it pretty obvious that this was the last Wu Dashi created. He made sure that it would always come last."

The group glanced down at the scroll as the picture in the center came to life. The animation began with an oversized man standing atop a globe. He raised his arm, grasping a small object, presumably the Shen Gong Wu, which flashed bright enough to fill the entire frame in an instant. As the light subsided, it left only black in the center of the scroll.

All of the warriors gasped.

Kimiko broke the foreboding silence that followed, "Dojo, what happened? Where's the Shen Gong Wu?"

"Where's the world?" Raimundo added, stating the obvious priority.

Dojo's eyes dropped and his expression went blank, "Gone. That's what The End does. It causes the end of the world."

Silence once again filled the room and the air became heavy. Kimiko shifted her gaze back to the now emotionless dragon. She began to chuckle softly and anxiously, "Y-you're joking right? Come on Dojo, you've got to be kidding. I-it's not true. That can't be true."

Dojo said nothing.

"Kimiko must be right," Omi piped up, "That cannot be real. Grand Master Dashi would never make a Shen Gong Wu like that," Dashi was Omi's idol and the very thought of him making something so horrifying made the young monk frightened and disgusted.

"Sorry guys," Dojo shifted his head up while keeping his eyes averted, "It's not a joke. That's the real Wu."

Another awkward pause was broken by Raimundo's strong and wise voice, "If that's the case, then we need to go now. If Jack gets his hands on that Wu first then we can definitely kiss our butts goodbye," he rose from his seat and began to walk away, with Dojo slithering close behind.

The rest of the group was too stunned to follow. Raimundo stopped walking and turned back to his friends, with what appeared to be pure rage staining his usually inoffensive features, "Quit wasting time! Let's move it guys!" He commanded, snapping his team back to reality and instantly putting them in motion.

Jack hurriedly assembled his army of Jackbots, with his newest model taking the lead. He felt a cryptic excitement crawl up his spine as he finished loading his aircraft with supplies. He packed plenty of weapons, along with some traditional camping essentials in case of emergencies. Firmly grasping his solitary Shen Gong Wu, he stood before his gathering of machinery: an evil dictator, preparing his soldiers for war.

Figuring it best not to waste time with a long speech, the young man raised his arm and spoke concisely, "Jackbots, this is the most important battle we've been in so far. Don't screw it up," he hopped into the pilot seat of his ship and buckled the safety strap across his chest, "Now, let's go show those Xiaolin freaks what real evil is!"

Jack's maniacal laugher signaled all of his Jackbots to join in. The haunting sound of their collective chortles rang throughout the room, echoing off the walls and only became more frightening as a protective barrier enclosed the mad scientist within his vehicle. His laugh became muffled and that of his robots projected even harsher. The collective sound could have driven one's soul to the point of madness.

Two large panels on the wall in front of the crowd slid open and, with one pull of a red lever, Jack's aircraft took off with his mechanical army in tow.

As the panels began to close once more, a set of footsteps could be heard approaching the basement door. The steps were accompanied by a kind voice, "Jack! Oh Sweetie, are you ready for dinner?"

But, of course, Jack's mother received no response. Puzzled, she opened the door and her eyes scanned the room, searching for some sign of her son. One thing caught her eye; a cloud of smoke surrounding two pieces of wall, which seemed to be sliding together. It was clear to her that her son had left, most likely flying off in the large aircraft that she had seen him working on once before.

A painful sense of abandonment stabbed needles into her heart. _He's gone again. How could he? _Her sorrow quickly evolved into rage and disappointment. _How could he just leave like that? That ungrateful twit! _She spun on her heels and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

None of the Xiaolin warriors had spoken a word since they left the temple, nor had their escort. The ride atop Dojo's back had been one with a heavy and tense atmosphere. A cloud of stress seemed to hover above each warrior's head as they anticipated the battle to come.

The foreboding aura became too much for Omi to handle. He decided to break the tension with some inquisitive conversation, "So, Dojo, why would Dashi create such a horrible Shen Gong Wu as The End? Did he ever tell you his purpose?"

Dojo's massive eyes peered back at the youngest monk for a moment. He chose to ignore the somewhat offensive and inappropriate nature of the questioning, and shifted his attention back to the direction he was flying before responding, "Listen, there's a lot about Master Dashi that you all don't know. Sure, he was a really powerful man, but he had his flaws.

"In the beginning, Dashi created Shen Gong Wu just for fun and games. But, after a while, he started to realize that they could be used for battle and decided that he wanted to take "full advantage" of his creative abilities," Dojo hinted that these were Dashi's words, and that he did not agree with them, "Soon, he was making Wu left and right so that he could defeat anyone who crossed his path, primarily Wuya.

"By the time he actually won against the old hag, he had nearly gone insane with power. He was just like any other guy; driven to madness and unable to control himself when placed in a position of immense strength.

"Eventually, I was able to convince him that he needed to quit. Unfortunately, this was not until after he had created The End.

"Once he got off of his power-hungry high-horse, he realized that designing the things had been a horrible idea in the first place. Why do you think he went through the trouble of hiding them? Back then he was just a young fool who didn't think things all the way through."

The memories hurt Dojo to recall just as much as they disappointed Omi to hear.

As had become his nature, Raimundo attempted to act as a voice of practicality and reason, "Hey, we shouldn't be surprised. Everybody does stupid stuff sometimes, and we're all flawed in one way or another. Besides, this Wu isn't very different from the Sapphire Dragon. It's an absolute lastresort in battle," he folded his arms over his chest defiantly.

It took the group a few minutes to process the exchange that had just taken place.

All of them had greatly respected Dashi. Yet, this recent discovery had placed a level of doubt into each of their minds. This was the legacy from which they had descended? This was what they were fighting for?

Suddenly, their cause did not seem quite as noble. Living up to the high standard of following in the footsteps of a Grand Master (such as the Dashi they had all come to believe in) had given every one of them a sense of pride and honor. Now that this sensation had been altered, their confidence began to waver.

This brought them to question precisely why Dashi would have first thought to create a weapon as frightening as The End.

Kimiko was able to voice what had started to process through everyone's head, "Sure, The End is a last resort weapon, but I don't know if Dashi would have intended to use it simply for the fact that he might lose a battle," her throat tightened, forcing her sentence to be cut short.

Clay was strong enough to pick up where she left off, "I reckon he wasn't plannin' on using it for that neither. Dashi prolly cared about much more 'n losin' his pride. He'd a' never destroyed the whole world over that. He mus'ta wanted to have it just in case…" He took a pause to swallow a thick mouthful of saliva before finishing, "In case the results of that battle were gonna be somethin' real awful. Like if'in' he were to encounter an evil bad 'nough that livin' in a world where it were in charge would-"

Raimundo put up a hand to stop him, noticing that the magnitude of his words had brought Kimiko to the brink of tears.

Clay realized that he had said too much and quickly apologized. The rest of their trip remained silent.

Dojo brought them as close to the Shen Gong Wu's location as he could sense. He descended softly, but swiftly, and shrank down to his more manageable size as the warriors hopped off his back in their usual fashion.

They had landed in a barren wasteland. Not an ounce of life was in sight. The air was dry and stifling. The ground radiated a heat that even Clay could feel through his thick cowboy boots.

Dojo's torso burned and chaffed as he attempted to slither along the rough stone ground, so he hopped onto Clay's shoulders to get as high up as possible.

Kimiko was the first to speak, "So, Dojo, where could the Shen Gong Wu be? I don't see anything around here." She glanced around, donning a pair of designer sunglasses to get a better view.

Dojo closed his eyes to focus for a moment, then reopened them and shifted his gaze back and forth, "Well, I know Dashi went through some major trouble to hide this one. That kinda goes without saying. I think he actually buried it somewhere around here."

"He buried it under such firm ground?" Omi asked in marvel at the very idea as he bent down to confirm the strength of the foundation upon which they stood.

"I'm fairly certain," Dojo muttered as he sniffed the air, using every sense he could to detect the object's location.

He strained his neck to the left and began to feel a strong scent drift into his nostrils. It had a vague hint of copper combined with gasoline and rust; the unmistakable scent of a Shen Gong Wu.

The dragon sneezed lightly as the scent assaulted his sinuses. He was terribly allergic to the smell of gasoline, which caused him to have horrible reactions to Shen Gong Wu that consisted heavily of that particular odor.

Luckily, most of them were not very powerful, this one included. It's most overpowering aroma was that of rust, quite similar to Wu such as the Sapphire Dragon and the Shadow of Fear.

Raimundo immediately picked up on the dragon's reaction and turned around, "Is it that way?" He signaled the direction Dojo was facing with his left index finger.

"Unless there's a rusty copper plant leaking oil around here, that'd be it," the dragon affirmed in his usual sarcastic manner.

Their leader made it clear that he was not at all interested in joking around. He hoisted Dojo from Clay's shoulder and held the dragon in front of his body, turning his friend into a form of radar.

The dragon's body straightened out and the ear flaps on either side of his head began to twitch, attempting to pick up a signal from the magical item. Raimundo watched carefully, scanning the area with Dojo's body until noticing a particularly strong reaction from the dragon's ears when he was pointed at a certain angle. The young man walked in this direction with haste, and the three remaining warriors followed quickly behind.

After about 10 minutes of speed walking, the dragon-radar suddenly bent at the waist and shot downward. The monks took immediate notice and abruptly stopped.

"It's gotta be somewhere around here guys. I can't say exactly where or how deep, but it's very close," Dojo voiced his reading and slithered up onto Raimundo's shoulders.

The three lesser monks turned to each other and grinned in relief that they were not too late, while their leader remained utterly serious, "Then let's start digging. Clay, you can handle the majority of this since your element is best suited for it," Clay nodded to confirm his leader's instruction, "I'll take the Falcon's Eye so I can search for The End's location more effectively. Everyone else, take out a Wu that can break through stone and start digging," Raimundo removed a small bag from his pocket and used the Changing Chopstick to return it to its full size. He then removed his Wu of choice before tossing the bag to his comrades.

Just Omi and Kimiko were to reaching into the stock of Shen Gong Wu, a strange whirring noise began to approach from afar. The group froze. They knew it would be one of two things: Jack Spicer, or some sort of booby trap that Dashi had placed to guard The End. They all hoped that it was the latter.

Unfortunately, their hopes were crushed as they saw a large aircraft and an army of robots hovering over their heads. The protective covering around the cockpit of the vessel swung up, revealing their rival nestled in the piloting seat, "Well well, if it isn't the mighty Xiaolin lizards," he teased, poking fun at their titles as 'dragons.'

The group immediately tightened their expressions and crouched down, preparing for battle. Jack feigned a frightened flinch, "Oh, the fighter's stance. How intimidating. As if I haven't seen that one before," he taunted.

Kimiko was quick to relay the trash talking, "Oh yeah? Well, we've seen your same stupid robots over and over. Don't you get that we'll smash them just as easily every time?" She shook her fist at the flying adversary.

Jack sighed and shrugged his shoulders, "That's where you're wrong, dearest Kimiko," he made some sort of signal with his hand and an oddly colored version of his traditional Jackbot came floating down from in front of the crowd of metal.

Jack grinned as he introduced his new creation, "Meet Jackbot 2.0. This new and improved weapon can command all of my other Jackbots just like a general at war. You haven't seen the full potential of my robots until you've seen them in an organized battle formation," the lead automaton raised its arm, signaling its partners to form a large mass behind it as their creator shouted, "Now, Jackbots, ATTACK!"

As Jack shouted and brought down his fist, Jackbot 2.0 mimicked the motion of his arm and its eyes flashed a bloodthirsty, murderous red.

The dragon warriors were confronted with a hoard of machines approaching from all directions. Each fighter took off, crushing as many Jackbots as they could reach. Yet, no matter how many robots their kicks, punches and other assaults demolished, it seemed as though the metal army's numbers never decreased.

"How many of these things are there? I didn't see very many to begin with!" Kimiko shouted as she gave one a roundhouse kick to its side.

"Ya got a point there Kim," Clay grabbed a robot from behind and chucked it at another that was trying to sneak up on Kimiko. Both machines exploded on impact, sending hunks of splintered metal flying in various directions, "S'like they're comin' back ta life 'er somethin'!"

Raimundo was the first to realize, glancing down as he performed a dodging back flip, that this was not an exaggeration. Clay was more correct than he realized. The demolished hunks of metal were continuously reassembling into their original forms!

"Guys, that's exactly what's going on!" Everyone gasped and turned their attention to Jack once again.

"Oh, did I forget to mention? That's a new feature I programmed into Jackbot 2.0. He can send wireless signals and control remote chips scattered throughout each of my robots."

He paused for a moment, "In case you dopes couldn't interpret that, I'll put it in simpler terms. Jackbot 2.0 can make my robots do anything, which includes attacking, defending, rebuilding and anything else that helps them destroy you! Now, 2.0, show no mercy! I'm going to go find the new Wu," Jack's robot nodded and beeped affirmatively as its creator picked up his Monkey Staff and Shen Gong Wu-detecting radar.

The young villain left the scene before the Xiaolin warriors had a chance to chase him. Their battle was far from over.

As the three lower dragons continued to go about defending themselves against the limitless swarm of enemies, their leader began to formulate a way to defeat the mechanical menace that opposed them. Dissecting Jack's words, he soon realized that the robots would be unable to regenerate if their leader was out of commission. The only thing that stood between the Xiaolin warriors and victory was the lone, bloodthirsty, upgraded machine.

Raimundo noticed a stray robot fly at his face and he sprang into the air, leaving Omi, who had been standing behind him, to obliterate it. Then, a plan began to form in his head, "Omi!" He landed on his feet next to his friend, "Can you reach the lead robot quickly? You're the smallest, so you have the best luck of sneaking through the crowd," he was interrupted by an approaching metal drone, which he forcefully backhanded and sent flying in the opposite direction.

"But Raimundo, would it not be easier if we were to use one of our elemental Shen Gong Wu to hit it from afar? Your Crest of the C-" the small monk's leader cut him off.

"We can't afford to waste our strength!" Both warriors were forced to grab a duo of oncoming robots and smash them together, "These guys are just pawns. We need to save our energy for the battle with Jack. You know as well as I do that those Wu take a lot out of us whenever we use them. I'm depending on you!" He leaped into the air to smash another robot to the ground and destroy it.

Omi did not have a chance to retaliate, as his commander was already preoccupied in attacking an oncoming hoard of Jackbots. The young dragon felt frustration trickle up his spine. _That Raimundo! He never listens to my brilliant ideas! Why did he get to become the Grand Dragon? I am so very sick of his attitude!_

Omi forced his jealous thoughts down as he attempted to focus on the task at hand. Regardless of whether or not he liked it, Raimundo was his leader, and he had to listen to the instructions given to him. Master Fung would not be pleased to discover that Omi had disobeyed a direct order from the one in charge. He cringed as he lunged towards the head robot, dodging a multitude of its minions in the process.

It took Omi only minutes of dashing and sliding before he was within range of the lead machine.

Suddenly, he was struck by a mischievous inspiration. _Well, if I am not allowed to use my elemental Shen Gong Wu from a distance, then I shall use it up close. That will show Raimundo to ignore my ingenious plan. _The monk chuckled as he attached his Wu to his arm and cried out, "Kaijin Charm!"

It all happened in an instant. A torrent of water gushed out of Omi's weapon, sending Jackbot 2.0 flying into the air. The young monk's impish grin was wiped away as he watched the demolished heap of metal careening towards Raimundo, who had just jumped into the air to avoid an earlier attack.

If only he had ducked to dodge the assault instead. Omi attempted to cry out and warn him of the danger, but it was too late. Raimundo did not even see what hit him. The shattered pieces of the robot smashed into the warrior's side, catapulting them both to the ground in a massive heap of flesh and metal.

The two had been lost from Omi's sight amongst the swarm of Jackbots, but something had caught the little monk's eye before they disappeared: red, and more than just the paint that had coated sections of the robot.

A single thought jolted through his head, wiping away any sense of rationality. _No…_

He crashed through the swarm of robots, destroying one after the other as if it were as natural as breathing. _No. _

Fear, anger and guilt all fought to control his consciousness. His will became overwhelmed by emotion and nearly shut his mind down completely. _No!_

He reached the pile of scrap metal which he sought and caught the sight of a leg wearing a pair of khaki pants; Raimundo. Tossing aside various pieces of metal that had been stained with even more crimson, Omi's jaw fell to the ground as he uncovered his friend's body. His breathing began to quiver and he felt a lump forming at the top of his throat, "N-no," was all he could manage to whisper around it.

Kimiko and Clay, unaware of what had occurred, suddenly noticed Omi hunched over something. The object of his attention was out of their field of vision, so they decided to approach him, suspecting nothing.

What they encountered was the most grotesque sight they had encountered since Hannibal Bean's face. Raimundo's mangled body lay before them, with a massive metal finger piercing its stomach. Blood had splattered across the robots hand, matching the red that had already been painted on it.

Kimiko lurched, covered her mouth and averted her gaze to suppress the vomit that had attempted to escape from her gut. Clay dropped his head, allowing the brim of his cowboy hat to overshadow his face as he covered his mouth as well.

Dojo, who had been hiding in the young man's hat, wriggled out to discover the reason behind the ominous silence. His eyes caught sight of the blood trickling out of the gaping wound in Raimundo's torso. He said nothing and slithered slowly back into Clay's hat, poking only his tiny head out from beneath its lip.

The three heard Omi muttering an indiscernible word over and over again as he began to shake more violently with each passing moment.

Clay slowly and solemnly approached his friend, doing his best to ignore the stench of salt and iron seeping from Raimundo's body. The cowboy's stomach lurched, but he held down the urge to puke by coughing into his fist. He placed the opposite hand onto Omi's shoulder, leaning in close to hear what the little monk was uttering.

"No. No. No," was all that the young monk could say. Tears welled up in his eyes and began to stream down his face, "No. No. No," he repeated.

Kimiko began to sob and even Clay felt his eyes grow moist. While everyone in the group was overwhelmed with pain, Omi's suffering was topped with an added sensation of guilt. He felt responsible. If only he had listened to his leader's instructions…

Still, the three friends realized that they could not waste time. Raimundo's spirit seemed to command them to refrain from morning and stay on task. They had a job to do. They had to keep Jack from getting his hands on The End. Time was of the essence. Omi rose from the ground and the team charged in the direction that Jack had headed off to.

Before departing, Dojo slid out from his hiding place under Clay's hat and approached Raimundo's body for the first time. He had more experience with this type of situation than the rest of the group, so he was able to control his disgust. As revolting as the sight was, he numbed his mind to it.

Raising a scaly hand to Raimundo's face, he softly brushed down to close the young man's eyes peacefully. After this ceremonial gesture, he sped up to regain pace with the warriors and returned to his woven shelter.

Jack paced around the deserted wasteland, attempting to find the Shen Gong Wu detector's sweet spot. The radar's signal kept getting strong as he walked near one location, but died down as he continued on. He was puzzled and frustrated by this phenomenon, as there was no Wu to be found in the area that gave his radar an alert.

"What the heck? Where is the dang thing?" He exclaimed, managing to keep his language clean as he whipped his Monkey Staff tail back and forth in frustration.

Jack stopped wandering and began wondering, placing a fist under his chin. _Why would I get a reading from this particular spot? My technology is without flaw, so it can't be that my radar is broken…_

He ran a few scenarios through his mind until he found one that fit. He snapped his fingers and popped his head up enthusiastically, "It is here, it's just underground!"

Proud of his impressive deductive skills, the young scientist immediately knew which invention would best assist him in this situation. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a small, compact, mole-shaped burrowing machine that could easily break through the solid earth beneath him.

Kneeling down, Jack used his radar one last time to find the exact location of the signal. After locating a hotspot, he placed his burrower on the ground and held down a small button on its back, "Bring it to me," he whispered to it surreptitiously. The robot sprang to life, squeaked as if it were a real mole and then used its sharp claws to begin journeying underground.

Jack rose from his knees and waited patiently for the burrower to return with his prize, "Those Xiaolin jerks have really gone downhill. I expected more of a challenge," he chuckled to himself, somewhat disappointed by how easy this mission was turning out to be.

His solitude was soon disrupted by the sound of a heavy, southern drawl, "Well now yer gonna get one."

Jack glanced over his shoulder and saw the Xiaolin team coming towards him. Yet, as he immediately noticed, one member was missing. A twisted, devilish grin crawled up both sides of his face. He promptly concluded that his Jackbots had done him well, "Ah, if it isn't my dearest Xiaolin rivals. Hm? Wait, something is missing from this picture. I'm thinking you're minus one-"

A trembling Kimiko screamed and cut him off, "Shut the hell up, Spicer!"

Jack stopped abruptly and feigned dismay, "Why Kimiko! Where's the love? I feel so dejected," his sarcasm filled the dragon's suffering hearts with a new sense of rage.

"You better keep yer mouth shut, you dirty snake!" Clay growled, shaking his fist.

Omi could say nothing. His conscious mind was still shut down from the shock.

None of them knew how best to react to their adversary. They had never expected Jack to be so comfortable with murder. He had been cruel before, but never been so purely evil. The group was taken aback by the harsh nature of his words and had difficulty responding.

The evil genius sensed their apprehension and began to laugh diabolically, "So, what are you going to do without your great leader here?" After he spoke, he heard a small, muffled beep come from behind him. He understood the signal and twisted back around, allowing the Xiaolin dragons to infer what was going on.

A small mole sprang from a hole in the ground, grasping a small object in its mouth.

The item was pure black. Its core was darker than a cloudy sky on a new moon night and was surrounded by a spiky aura which was a similar shade, yet transparent enough to allow the core to show through.

Jack's hand rose into the air to catch his robot, along with the Shen Gong Wu. Just then, Omi returned to his senses and snapped into action. He sprang forward into the air and latched onto the magical orb at the exact moment that his foe's fingers touched it.

The two rivals locked eyes, sending a jolt of energy between them. Everyone knew what was coming: the final Xiaolin Showdown.

"Jack Spicer," Omi landed and stared directly into his adversary's evil face, "I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown. I wager the Sun Chi Lantern against your Monkey Staff."

The dry air became thick with tension as the group watched the two combatants stare each other down.

Omi didn't give his foe time to respond, "The game will be a race to the finish. We will end this the same way that we started."

Jack grinned diabolically, knowing that his Monkey Staff would give him an advantage, "You got it baldy. I accept your challenge. You'll wish you hadn't messed with me after this is over," he began to chant in an ape-like fashion.

_I already do wish that. _Omi felt a pang of guilt creep up inside of him, but he forced it down so that he could focus on the battle ahead, "Let's go…"

The two drew in close and shouted together, "Xiaolin Showdown!"

In a flash, the earth began to shake as large stone pillars formed beneath everyone's feet. The platforms rose to various heights as the majority of the ground fell away, creating a maze for the fighters and a single round viewing platform for the observers. It was identical to the first Showdown between the two from many years ago.

There was no time to regard the simplistic nostalgia. The battle began instantly as the combatants yelled to one another, "Gong ye tempai!"

The race was on. Jack took off with haste, wasting no time in getting ahead of his opponent with his enhanced agility.

Luckily, Omi's training at the temple had not gone to waste, and he was able to remain close behind. Yet, as they neared the stone pillar that the Shen Gong Wu hovered on, Omi knew he had to take action to surpass his opponent. As he hopped to the next tower, he sat, in a cross-legged fashion, and whispered softly into his Shen Gong Wu, hoping that it could save him, "Sun Chi Lantern."

Jack noticed that his enemy had taken a seat and found this the ideal time to turn back and gloat.

He backtracked, landed next to Omi and then knelt down to the young monk's level, "What's wrong little guy? Are you giving in to my magnificent evil? That would be the smart thing to do. You must realize that you can't beat me. I'm much faster than you," he grinned and pounded lightly on his opponent's bald head like a bongo drum.

Omi clenched his teeth and growled as the chi-energy of each of his friends began to gather within the lantern around his neck. He felt the heat of Kimiko's fire well up inside of him. This was followed by the strength of Clay's earth, which grounded and solidified his power as the two elemental energies drifted into the Shen Gong Wu.

Then, he felt a third power flow into the lantern. It was something soft, soothing, fresh and full of guidance and wisdom. Time froze for a moment, allowing Omi to experience the full magnitude of the events to come.

The feeling was serene. It was as if Raimundo had halted the pass of time to deliver Omi a message. The young monk lifted his gaze and saw a different world, with his leader looking down on him. The spirit of the grand dragon floated before him. The ghostly body appeared to be similar to that of a wispy cirrus cloud on a bright summer day.

It did not speak to Omi verbally, but the little monk felt in his heart that it was saying something. It felt as if the apparition was telling him, "Don't worry, I forgive you. It wasn't your fault. Just do what you need to now, little dude. Don't worry about what happened. I'll always be with you guys. I love you all."

Omi reached out his hand and Raimundo's spirit mirrored his movement. As their hands met, the ghost began to drift away and transform into a swirl of wind. The gust circled around Omi and ended its journey by entering the Sun Chi Lantern. When all was said and done, the mysterious world dissipated and the young monk was brought back to reality.

His return was met with the rhythmic pounding of Jack Spicer's palms on his head. His eyes drew to a squint and he placed his hands on the lantern. He felt all of the elements inside of him blending and becoming the ultimate power of four dragon warriors. It was such an immense force that Omi's small body began to levitate into the air while still in a seated position, much to the primate drummer's surprise.

Letting out a cry, Jack stepped backwards as Omi unleashed his concealed emotions in a flurry of attacks. He shouted each element in succession as streams of red, brown, white and blue energy began to circle around his body.

"Fire!"

The red whip flew towards Jack as Omi's rage was unleashed. The ape-man was easily able to dodge this first assault as his attacker screamed.

"You are a disgrace Jack Spicer!"

"Earth!"

The brown formation fed off of Omi's guilt and unleashed its own attack on the enemy. Still able to avoid both forces, Jack chuckled at the ranting of his opponent that followed.

"How dare you cause the death of our friend and feel no remorse!"

"Wind!"

White now entered the fray, drawing its energy from Omi's fear. With the addition of a third weapon, Jack became unable to dodge as skillfully, turning instead the less impressive technique of running away.

Omi's next words bellowed over him as he struggled to escape, "You were always a horrible person, but this is beyond awful!"

"Water!"

Finally, the blue stream joined the battle as Omi released every piece of his being into his assault.

Jack was at last overwhelmed by the monk's attacks, having his Monkey Staff snatched away by Omi's white stream. Then, the red and brown streaks restrained each of Jack's arms as the blue one bound the villain's legs together.

"You will face punishment for your actions one day," Omi spoke ominously as he detached from his colored weapons, which shrank into small circles and held Jack in place.

Jack thrashed against his mystical chains. However, this could do nothing to free him as Omi leapt to the final stone platform and grabbed The End; bringing the Showdown to a close.

The rest of the Xiaolin team smiled proudly as the world around them returned to its true form. Although the scenery was not much to marvel at, it was a great improvement over that of the dark, malignant battlefield.

After being brought back to reality, Jack was gently lowered to the ground as Kimiko and Clay rushed over to join Omi with Dojo in tow. The victorious monk looked down at his defeated rival, finishing his prophesy, "It may or may not be soon, but it will come. You will regret all of what you have done on this day."

Jack did not look up from the ground as his enemy spoke. He felt far too much shame to respond.

Clay placed a hand on Omi's shoulder and each member of the winning party received gentle smiles from one another. Dojo took the opportunity to hop down from the perch that he had taken on the cowboy's shoulder during the showdown and grew to his larger size. The three Xiaolin warriors mounted their trusty stead and left their enemy kneeling on the ground in disgrace.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - The Second Hand Unwinds

After retrieving Raimundo's body, the Xiaolin dragons returned to the temple.

The corpse had multiple broken bones (some of which protruded from the skin) and was splattered with dry blood, making for a truly gruesome sight. It was so much so that none of the warriors could stand the thought of watching it the entire ride home, and the unpleasant task of carting it back was left to Dojo.

Each member of the team felt an intense feeling of shame that they could not give their leader the respect he deserved. Yet, this guilt was not powerful enough to overshadow their disgust. Thus, the ride was silent, with each warrior hanging their head in solemn remorse.

Upon their return, the travelers were met by Master Fung. Although his sight had begun to fail him in his old age and did not immediately see the corpse, he was able to sense an aura of misery radiating from the entire party.

Dojo landed, laid Raimundo's lifeless body on the ground gently and shrank down to size.

At this point, Master Fung wheeled himself towards the group, but still did not notice the body, "Welcome back, my young dragons. Were you successful on your quest?"

The members of the group glanced at one another, searching for the best words to describe what had taken place.

Clay was the first to muster up the courage to respond, but did so with few words. He took a deep breath to fill his lungs with a last gasp of clean air and promised himself that he would not let the revolting sight of Raimundo's blooded corpse stop him from doing what needed to be done. The dragon of earth grounded himself and approached the dead body, ignoring the stench with all his might. He then carried the body to his master and placed it down at the old man's feet, "Well, Sir, we were able ta get the last a' the Shen Gong Wu…"

Omi pulled himself together enough to finish his friend's sentence, "But we lost something far more important," his throat cinched and Kimiko began to gasp for breath in agony.

The old man said nothing as he watched his disciples stand in a line before him. Looking down, he was finally able to make out the sight of Raimundo's body and began to shake his head in sorrow, "This is most troubling. We have not lost a life at this temple since our battle with Mala Mala Jong all those years ago," he paused, needing a moment to collect himself as tears began to well up in his eyes.

The sight of their master's emotion revived the storm of sorrow that had been fighting to creep its way back into the dragon's hearts. Each of the Xiaolin now began to let their tears flow freely in mourning for their fallen comrade.

After having time to cry, Master Fung was able to gather himself and instruct the others as to their next course of action, "Could you bring forth the Shen Gong Wu which has led to this unfortunate turn of events? I wish to see it with my own eyes."

The warriors looked down at Dojo, knowing that he was the one in possession of their stock of Wu. The little dragon pulled out a small sack from inside of his ear and followed the same process as Raimundo before him, using the Changing Chopsticks to return the bag of objects to its true size. He then dove into the bag and retrieved the small, black orb.

Beholding the magical object in awe, he could not help but remark, "I've seen Shen Gong Wu strip off people's clothes, make them act like they're on drugs and give them explosive diarrhea. But none scare me quite as much as this one."

The dragon slithered over to Master Fung and placed The End into his wrinkled hands. Afterwards, he slid upward and perched himself on the handles of the elderly man's wheelchair.

As Master Fung lifted the small object to his face, he felt a sense of pure terror strike his old and weak heart. It was such a simple item. Yet, it had the power to bring chaos to the entire world before it was even activated.

A powerful jolt of fear shook the elderly man's body and he lifted his gaze back to the dragons, "We must place this in the vault immediately. It is too horrifying to be exposed out in the open this way," he spun his wheelchair around and headed in the direction of the Shen Gong Wu vault, with Dojo riding on the chair behind him.

The three dragons were flabbergasted at their master's reaction. They had never seen him address a Shen Gong Wu in such a loathsome manner. For a moment, they did not know how to respond. Their master's reaction brought a slew of questions to their minds. What did Master Fung really think about the Wu? Did he really hate all of them, or was it just this new one? And, if he did hate them all, why was that?

Master Fung cast off his usually patient demeanor when he realized that the three of them were not following him, "Quickly! I only want one of you to stay behind with Raimundo. The other two must come with Dojo and I!" He commanded over his shoulder, putting a spring in their steps.

Omi, who had been closest to the bag of Shen Gong Wu at the time, snatched up the sack and hurried his little feet so as to catch up with Master Fung.

Clay and Kimiko looked at each other, debating who would take on which task.

Clay, always the gentleman, spared the young woman the grief of taking care of the corpse by signaling, with a gentle wave of his open hand, for her to join the others. She accepted his gesture, smiling and nodding politely, before dashing off toward the vault.

No one in the group spoke a word as they entered the tower. Master Fung jingled five bells in a specific pattern and the stone staircase leading to the Shen Gong Wu vault slid down upon the input of the musical code.

Unfortunately, the vault had not yet been made handicap-accessible. This left Kimiko and Omi to put all the Wu in the proper places, after having accepted The End from Master Fung's hand.

An ominous silence was held between the two as they journeyed deeper into the underground storage area, distributing the magical items to the proper resting places as they went.

When they reached the bottom of the vault, they stared for a moment at the stone drawer reserved for the final Wu.

The silence began to drive Kimiko berserk, and she could no longer hold back the urge to speak, "Omi, are you all right? What happened during that battle? Did you see how Raimundo was…" she could not bring herself to finish her sentence and started a new one, "Are you OK?" She placed a hand softly on the small monk's shoulder to comfort him, even though the question had been asked more for her own satisfaction than for the sake of helping her friend's feelings.

Omi could not stand to look her in the eyes. He twisted his head in the opposite direction of her comforting hand and lifting The End towards its home, "I am sorry Kimiko," he began as he placed the Wu in the drawer and pushed on its front surface lightly, prompting it to slide shut automatically.

The young woman would not accept this for an answer and grasped Omi's shoulder tighter as he attempted to walk back up the stairs, "Wait. Please Omi, just tell me what happened. I, I really need to know," she said no more. However, her voice made it clear that, regardless of her reactions to the gruesome sight of Raimundo's bloody corpse, she felt that she could handle the news of what had happened.

Omi did not want to speak of it, but he knew that he could not deny his stubborn ally. He gazed into her face, racked with remorse and guilt.

She immediately detected his pain. The two of them had a bond, a connection more powerful than that of a simple friendship. One could call it a crush, but their lifestyle as Xiaolin monks prevented anything from growing out of it. In fact, all of the dragon warriors felt kinship with one another that seemed to be beyond that of regular friends. There was an unbreakable bond between their kindred spirits that very few could comprehend.

It hurt Kimiko to press him, but they both knew that the truth must be revealed, "Come on Omi. Please tell me what happened. Rai…Raimundo was…" Her heart began to ache; its wound torn open once again as she picked away the scab that had started to form.

Omi stopped her and brought her into a comforting, friendly embrace. As he hugged her soft face to his chest, he wiped away her tears and stroked her smooth, velvety black hair. She fell to her knees on the stairs and Omi sat next to her without letting go, "I am truly sorry Kimiko. It was my fault."

Kimiko shot her face up at him in shock, "What? W-what do you mean it was 'your fault'? What happened?" She trembled in horror, fearing the worst and unable to accept the startling news.

He swallowed a sticky lump of saliva and proceeded to explain, "Raimundo realized that defeating the leader of the robots would prevent all of the others from coming back to life, but the crowd of drones around us was too dense for him to reach it. He instructed me to sneak through the battle and destroy it, as I am much smaller and swifter.

"But I did not listen. I thought it would be easier for him to use his elemental Shen Gong Wu from a distance, even though it would have used more energy. I snuck over to the robot and used my Kaijin Charm to attack it out of defiance."

Kimiko gasped as Omi continued, "The attack sent broken parts of Jack's robot flying into Raimundo. I should have listened to orders. Because of my foolishness, Raimundo is…" He could not finish before sobs began to choke him and stifle his speech.

Kimiko wrapped her arms around him and the two held each other, crying together, for some time. Nothing had ever been as hard for her to hear as this. And yet, it hurt Omi even more to recall and repeat it. Their sorrow poured out with each salty tear. The fact that the little monk had not even messed up some form of slang during his story only proved the gravity of the situation.

After they had sat together for a while, it struck Kimiko that she needed to say something to help Omi, as well as herself, feel better about what had transpired, "Omi," she leaned out of their hug slightly so that their eyes could meet, "Don't blame yourself. That was not your fault, it was completely by accident. You had no way of knowing that something like that would happen."

He did not listen to her. His mind was set. It was his fault and no one could convince him otherwise, "No. I was at fault. If I had listened to the orders that I was given, none of this would have happened."

Kimiko felt her heart being ripped apart as she heard Omi's words. She wished there was some way to help him and to release him from his prison of guilt. Yet, she knew that his proud spirit was very hard to break and was overwhelmed with remorse when she realized that she could do nothing on her own to assist him.

They released from their embrace, acknowledging a new sense of tension between them. Omi rose to his feet, making no attempt to ease the mood before leaving his friend alone. He knew that he needed some time to himself. Kimiko chose not to deny him that solitary privilege, and the two went their separate ways after exiting the vault.

News of the grand dragon's death spread throughout the temple like wildfire. By the end of the day, everyone had been told and a funeral service was being planned. A number of monks from surrounded temples were invited to observe the services. The next night, dozens had gathered to pay their respects.

Prior to the proceedings, Raimundo's body was taken to the temple's medical practitioners and treated in a form of temporary mummification.

Firstly, they removed the chunk of metal that had still been lodged in the corpse's stomach.

The dragon warriors had been afraid to do this, for reasons that the operators were forced to deal with. The instant they yanked out the claw, the wound began to spew puss and small pieces of coagulated blood flew into the air like chunks of stone from a volcano. This left a massive gaping hole on the body, exposing many internal organs. Some of the guts had even flown into the air when their newest accessory was torn away, proving that this task was not meant for those without a strong stomach.

As hideous as the sight was, the medical professionals had been trained to deal with it and went about their work. They removed all of the organs and drained the remaining bodily fluids, then proceeded to pour a mixture of salts into the body cavity before sewing the wound shut with simple medical stitches.

After the embalming, the body was sent to some temple artists, who were the most qualified to clean up and decorate the corpse. None of them were professional make-up artists or hair-dressers, but they all worked together and created an end result that would honor any man in his last moments of exposure to the world.

The service plans were simple and conservative, as was traditional for ceremonies held by Xiaolin monks. This was a bit ironic, considering that Raimundo was one who often took an over-the-top approach to life.

A group of musicians was invited to play soothing melodies during the event on traditional Chinese instruments. The body was placed in a custom-made wooden coffin and rested atop a mat similar to the ones used by all of the monks for bedding. The lighting and decorations were kept to a minimum. All of these things signified the belief that only necessities should be used in death as well as life, a value which had long been held by the Xiaolin monks.

Kimiko went out to pick flowers alone, accepting the duty assigned to her as the temple's only female. It had never made her very happy that all of the monks held onto their old-fashioned ways, but at least this tradition gave her some time to herself. The peaceful solitude of collecting small bouquets to be placed around the coffin before burial gave her some time to clear her head.

Yet, her mind was unable to free itself from worry about Omi and his struggles. _Poor Omi. I hope he's able to rationalize with himself. Still, I can't believe he would… _She cut herself off at the thought and felt ashamed that she would even consider placing any blame on her friend.

When she returned to the temple, Kimiko placed her bouquets intricately around the coffin.

Her time alone had been wasted. She returned feeling worse than when she left and was burdened with a new guilt brought on by doubt swirling around her mind. _What if Omi had just listened? _

She no longer shunned the thoughts that bubbled up from the darkest corners of her mind. _If he hadn't been so stubborn about using his elemental Shen Gong Wu, then Rai would still be alive right now. As much as I don't want to say it, it's true. Sure, accidents happen. But this could have been completely prevented. Why did that little... _She cut her thoughts short when she saw Master Fung approaching with Dojo in tow.

"The flower arrangement looks beautiful Kimiko. I am sure Raimundo would have loved to see it. You have done well to honor his memory," the old man smiled warmly at her.

Seeing his kind face and hearing his comforting words put Kimiko at ease and allowed her to shut down the horrible thoughts that she had allowed to escape, "Thank you Master Fung," she responded with a bow and went off to find Clay, hoping that she would get a chance to talk to him.

At the same time, Clay had been given the duty of taking care of Raimundo's sleeping quarters and belongings.

To honor the grand dragon's memory, the space would be left nearly the same way that its owner had arranged it during his lifetime. However, one addition was to be made. A small shrine would be made in the center. It was Clay's duty to assemble this shrine.

It was traditional to utilize the clothes worn at the victim's time of death in the shrine. Therefore, after they had been cleaned, Clay neatly arranged Raimundo's battle garments in the middle of the area.

He distributed incense candles on either side of the pile of clothing, with small potted ferns behind them. He then put an 8 x 10 portrait in a delicately carved wooden frame and positioned it in the middle, directly behind the garments.

The picture was one of the four warriors together after they had achieved dragon status, all grinning madly, with Raimundo standing out front and holding a thumbs-up to the camera. Traditionally, this would have been a painted portrait, but everyone had agreed that, in this modern age, a photo would do just as well and that it was more fitting to the man of honor.

To top off the shrine, Clay placed the pendant that Raimundo had always worn on top of the clothes, curling the chain in an artistic half-circle so that the whole piece resembled a gust of wind.

After he had assembled the space, Clay shifted into a cross-legged position to admire his work. _Hope ya like it Rai._ He smiled at the thought, knowing that Raimundo probably wouldn't have cared either way.

A moment later, Clay heard the sound of feet pattering down the hallway and turned to see who was there: Kimiko. He tipped his hat to her as she wondered solemnly into the room, "Howdy there, Kim. You all done with the flower pickin'?"

The young woman nodded, but said nothing. Her silence worried Clay. He stood up and placed one of his giant hands softly on her delicate shoulder, "Hey now, you gonna be all right? I know it's tough, but we gotta be strong."

She shook her head to show him that he had misunderstood, "That's not it. The thing is," she had to avert her gaze, as shame had made her unable to look her kind friend in the face, "I've been doing a lot of thinking."

The cowboy was puzzled, "That there's kinda vague. Thinkin' 'bout what?"

She sighed and sniffled, doing her best to force back the lump that was crawling up her throat, "Well, the thing is, Omi told me what happened to Raimundo. He saw the whole thing," she coughed slightly to keep her voice clear.

Clay was taken aback for a moment, "W-what? Really? Well, why didn't cha say that before? What happened?" He stammered out, placing both hands on her shoulders now.

Kimiko had known that this was the sort of reaction he would have when she brought up the subject. Still, she wished that he had behaved less frantically. Emotionally, she was still not completely prepared to tell the tale. Clay's frantic response only put on more pressure and made her twice as nervous to give details on the grave situation at hand. However, she took in a deep breath and mustered up the courage to explain everything that Omi had revealed to her the day before.

Meanwhile, none other than Omi himself was walking towards the dragons' shared sleeping quarters, planning to pay his respects at the shrine that Clay had been assigned to complete.

Oddly enough, as he approached the room, he overheard a conversation taking place. His keen instincts instantly picked up on the fact that the tone of the exchange was an ominous one. He slid to the side of the doorway silently, unnoticed, and pressed his ear to wall to get a better listen.

His heart fell to his stomach and curled itself into a knot as he began to distinguish the speaking voice. It was Kimiko, telling Clay all of what he had told her in the vault. Even though it was not necessarily a secret, he felt a sense of betrayal that she would go out and tell someone else outright without even asking him if it was okay.

He clenched his hands into fists and his pulse began to quicken. _How could she do something like this? _His mind raced with anger and he realized that staying there, listening to her talk, was only making it worse.

He fled the hallway, hoping that he could find sanctuary to calm his troubled mind.

Kimiko turned back when she heard a soft pattering noise come from outside the doorway. Clay had been listening so intently to her story that he had not noticed the sound.

"What's wrong Kim?" he inquired curiously.

She remained silent for a moment. She hoped to pick up on the noise again, but it had disappeared, "Nothing. I just thought I heard someone out in the hallway," she turned to face her friend again, "But that's it. Ever since Omi told me all of that, I haven't been able to think straight. I know it's not completely his fault, but something still makes me upset with him. I feel horrible about it," she lowered her head in humiliation.

Clay placed a hand under her chin and lifted it gently, "I reckon I might know why."

She looked up at him with hope in her eyes. She sensed the kindness and understanding that seemed to radiate from him. She was certain that she could trust him and that he was truly a great friend with only the best of intentions.

Yet, this did not make his next words any less difficult to hear.

"I reckon you're thinkin' all them things 'cause you want somebody ta blame for all a this, and tryin' ta put all the fault on Jack just ain't doin' it for ya. Yer not convinced that one man alone could cause all a' this, so yer mind needs somebody else to place some a' the reasonability on. I kin see why ya'd feel that way."

His wisdom was harsh, but it was true, and Kimiko knew it. Everything suddenly made sense and she felt even worse for not realizing it herself, "Y-you're right," the words burned on her tongue, but she knew that it was best to force them out.

Still, something didn't feel right. Even though it took a massive weight off of her shoulders to figure things out and let Clay know the truth, as he obviously deserved to know what had happened, there was an oddly tense atmosphere lingering in the room. Something made her think that it was because of the noise that she had heard. Perhaps they had revealed something to an unwanted eavesdropper. She decided to ignore the thought, convincing herself that it wasn't important.

Simultaneously, Clay was fighting with emotions of his own. After all that Kimiko had shared with him, he began to fear that something had changed. It was if Raimundo had been a force that helped bind their group and, in his absence, their relationship would begin to change.

Their friendship would not collapse entirely. At least, not that he could see. But he felt that he would never be able to look at his friends the same way again after learning about all that had happened. Kimiko had just revealed something despicable. Omi seemed to have lost all sense courage and self-confidence. Nothing was as it should've been.

_Where're we gonna go from here? How can we fix this?_ He struggled with his thoughts, looking for ways to save the friendship and memories that the band of friends had once cherished. He couldn't let things fall apart this way. They had gone through too much to lose everything over just one incident. He refused to let their years of bonding be broken in such a brief period. Even if he did lose his friends to this conflict, it would not be without a fight.

A loud bell signaled that the funeral processions were about to begin and snapped the minds of both monks back to reality. They nodded to one another in silent comprehension and walked off to join the ceremony.

The funeral was a beautiful service. Each monk in attendance took turns bowing and saying a few words of respect in front of the coffin, which was decorated with incense burners along with the flower arrangements that Kimiko had made.

Master Fung had requested that he, Dojo and the three dragon warriors were to remain at the end of the line. When the three friends discovered this, they instantly became suspicious. Why would Master Fung purposely save them for the end? Knowing that man as well as they did, it was clear that he had something special in store. And, chances are, it would not help their current situation.

Once everyone else had taken their turn, the master wheeled himself up to the coffin with what appeared to be considerable difficulty.

Dojo seemed to be the only one that paid this detail any mind, but Master Fung did not give the little dragon a chance to inquire about it. Without pause, he turned to face the audience of monks before him and began to speak, "My young student, Raimundo, was a courageous and powerful leader. His great legacy will never be forgotten at this temple. I understand that this is a difficult time. However, we all must remember that life is not eternal. Everything in this world begins and ends. We must never deny this truth. At the same time, it is important that we do not forget those who have passed.

"Tonight, we have not gathered to mourn the loss of this great dragon warrior. Rather, we are here to celebrate the life that he lived. To honor his legacy and to cherish the fond memories of him that will remain in our hearts as long as we live. Now, I would like to invite each of the remaining young dragons to come forth and say a few words about their lost leader.

"Omi, if you would please come forward," he gestured for the little monk to join him in front of the crowd.

Omi's brain froze. As he walked forward, he began to feel dizzy with horror. _Why me? Why me?_ He could think of nothing to say and no way to cover himself. Would he be forced to tell what had happened to the entire crowd?

Master Fung smiled as the little monk took a place next to him. The elder placed a wrinkled hand on his student's shoulder, "This is Omi; the youngest of the three remaining dragon warriors. Yet, he is special. He is a diligent learner and a powerful fighter. It has always been that, in Raimundo's absence, this mighty dragon would be the next in line to inherit the title of grand dragon warrior," Master Fung pulled a black cloak and yellow sash from a bag that had been in his lap; an outfit parallel to the one that Raimundo had worn as grand dragon.

Omi's body went numb at the sight.

Kimiko and Clay felt their hearts drop to their feet. Their reactions were partly due to disappointment, but were prevailingly caused by pure shock at how suddenly this was taking place. How could Master Fung be choosing a new leader already? It seemed rather insensitive of him, seeing as how they had just lost their friend in such a hideous accident. They could not begin to comprehend why Master Fung was acting so out of character. His behavior seemed strange and out of place.

When Omi did not take the clothes from Master Fung's hands, the old man immediately knew that the time to reveal his secret was fast approaching. Still, he chose to keep up the charade just a bit longer and prompted Dojo to force the young monk to follow along.

Dojo, who knew what was on Master Fung's mind, slithered inconspicuously onto Omi's shoulders and forced him to lift his arms and accept the gift.

Putting on a smiling mask, Master Fung glanced back up into the crowd and continued, "Now, I invite Omi to say a few words in commemoration of this day and his fallen leader, Raimundo," he then placed a hand on the little monk's shoulder forcefully, giving him the silent order to speak, regardless of whether or not he wanted to.

Holding the robes like a lifeless shell, Omi opened his mouth and began to force words out, hardly knowing what he was saying until hearing it for himself, "H-hello everyone. I would like to thank my master for such an honor as this. I will do my best to lead with strength and courage as…"

He looked over at Clay and Kimiko. Noticing the expression of frustration growing on the young woman's face, Omi realized that the truth needed to be revealed. As much as the words burned traveling up his throat, he forced them into the air, "There is something that you all must know. I am the one responsible for Raimundo's death."

His words were met with gasps from all around. Everyone besides Clay, Kimiko, Dojo and (oddly enough) Master Fung, stared intently at Omi and hoped that there was more to his story.

Master Fung lifted Dojo into his lap and looked down at his disciple, "Well Omi, everyone is waiting. Please continue."

Shocked, Omi glanced into his master's face and did not see the comforting expression for which he had hoped. Instead, he saw a stern face, one which made him immensely uncomfortable.

He shot his gaze back to the crowd and went on with his story, "When we were engaged in battle with the evil Jack Spicer and his robot troupes, Raimundo gave me an order to attack the army's leader.

"I snuck through the crowd, but, instead of simply destroying the head robot as I was told, I used my elemental Shen Gong Wu to attack out of spite. The broken machine was sent flying and its sharp claw was what caused the wound that killed Raimundo."

He looked up at Master Fung once again, "I apologize for not explaining the truth sooner, but I was afraid that you would be angry and punish me. I let my emotions cloud my judgment, and I will accept the rightful consequences," the little monk lifted the robes, prompting his master to take them back.

Yet, Master Fung did not remove the garments from his grasp. Rather, the old man looked down at Omi with pride and smiled, "And it is that honesty and courage that will allow you to become a great leader one day, my young monk. Please, do not fall into the despair that is brought on by guilt."

And, with those final words, the old man collapsed from his chair and flopped to the ground.

For a moment, no one could register what had happened. Why was Omi still holding the robes? Why was Master Fung on the ground? What was going on? After taking a period of silence to absorb everything into their minds, people began to react.

"Master Fung!" Kimiko and Clay dashed up to the old man's body and got on their knees to see what was wrong.

Omi, still in shock, had not been able to move and was still holding the robes into the air. Yet, when his friends approached, he was able to snap his mind back to reality and react. He tossed the outfit aside, knowing that the condition of his master was far more important.

The three students, all keeling now, stared intently at Master Fung's limp body as it rested on the ground. Each one gently shook the lifeless man, trying to get some kind of response.

Dojo, who had moved to the arm of the wheelchair before Master Fung's fall, hopped down and grasped the old man's thin wrist. This was not so much to discover his condition as it was to confirm what the dragon already knew.

Each of the three warriors watched Dojo expectantly, but their hopes were shot down when they witnessed the dragon shaking his head softly from side to side, "He's gone guys," tears began to well up in his eyes, "The Fung is gone."

The rest of the monks present lowered their heads in renewed mourning, not showing the same level of shock that each of the dragon warriors displayed.

"No!" Kimiko shouted as her sorrow took on a new strength, "This can't be real! Please Dojo!" She shuffled closer to the dragon and dropped onto to her hands and knees, begging for everything to be a lie.

Clay did not speak, only hanging his head solemnly and letting the brim of his hat cover the tears that began to drip from his eyes.

Omi placed his hands on Master Fung's inanimate chest and tried pumping it slightly, even though he knew that there was no hope of reviving the breathless old man, "No. Please, Master Fung, do not leave us. We need you! Please!" He lamented in agony as he collapsed atop his fallen master's body.

The three could not understand why all of this was happening. Nothing had ever been this way before. Why was all of this suffering falling upon them at once? What would they do without their best friend? Where would they go without their wise teacher there to guide them? How could they go on without Raimundo and Master Fung?

What happened over the next couple of days was almost completely lost to the trio. Their minds shut down and began simply going through the motions of each passing moment. Only a few things stood out to them, and became trapped in their memories: a body being taken away, another being buried, a new coffin being built, more flowers being picked, another shrine being assembled and finally, more words of respect being presented under a starry night sky.

Not until the day after Master Fung had been buried were their minds able to gradually fight off the initial shock of what had happened and resume normal functions. Dojo found this as reasonable a time as any to tell them what he knew. It turned out that the dragon had known that Master Fung was close to dying, since the old man had shared nearly everything with his scaly companion.

Dojo explained that the news had hurt him as well, and he had hoped for every moment that it was some sort of trick. Still, it had not shocked him to see the death take place; especially after Master Fung's ominous behavior in forcing Omi to take on the leadership role. The dragon explained that he had seen what went on between Omi and Raimundo during the battle, and had revealed the full story to Master Fung upon their return to the temple.

The news did not come as much of a surprise. Master Fung always seemed to have some way of knowing everything, be it inside sources or otherwise. It also explained why he had been so intent on crowning Omi as the new leader. His time to do so had been more limited than they knew.

But it still didn't make the news any easier to hear.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Inheritance

_How could Omi get picked to be grand dragon? _Kimiko demanded in her head as she lay on her cot that night. _He's half the reason Raimundo's dead, and Master Fung knew it all along! Why would he still pick that self-absorbed little twit? Even Clay would have been a better leader than Omi! If anything, I deserved that robe. I mean, I'm not the best leader, but at least I'm the brains among these idiotic show-offs. _

She sighed and rolled onto her left side. _This is wrong. I can't believe this is going through my head right now. I wouldn't be a successful leader. I'd probably go crazy and make the temple into a modern industrial plant or something, considering the family I come from. I'm too technologically dependent to be a monk. At least Omi and Clay don't have that issue. I'm still amazed that Rai was able to adapt so well. I guess it's since his favorite hobbies became sort of minimalist as he grew up. All he liked to do after a while were things like playing soccer and surfing. He gave up a lot of video games, his dreams of being rich and famous and other things like that. He really did turn out to be a better leader than I had expected. I just hope Omi can do the same. _

She tossed to her right. _Still, I wonder how Papa is doing back home in Tokyo. I wish I could go help him out with Tohomiko and everything. Somehow, I think that kind of life would be a lot easier than staying here to be a Xiaolin monk fighting to protect the world. Scratch that, I _know_ it would. But, my duties here are important, right? I can't just quit, can I?_

She took a deep breath and calmed her thoughts enough to force her deprived body to sleep.

_Wonder how Daddy's doin' back home on the ranch? Bet it's a lotta work fer him since he's gettin' older. I reckon it'd be a lot easier on 'em if Jessie'd just go back there an help insteada her wonderin' around the plains a Texas doin' who knows what? _

_Ah well, not much I can do. I gotta stay here an help keep the temple runnin'. I just hope Omi don't get too overwhelmed by bein' named the grand dragon. He's definitely all right for the job, I say he just wasn't quite ready fer it yet. He's gonna need some help fer a while at least. If only Master Fung coulda stayed around for just a bit longer. I reckon I'ma really miss havin' him 'round to give out advice an… _The exhausted cowboy drifted off into a fitful sleep before he could finish his thought.

Unfortunately, unlike his comrades, the last thing Omi could think about was going to sleep. As the young monk sat on his head in meditation, his mind was a storm of thoughts, clouded by guilt, fear, and even a sense of pride. He had finally gotten what he always wanted; to be a grand dragon warrior. Yet, the achievement was bittersweet and Omi felt ashamed to be proud of it._ I should not be so overjoyed by this. We have just lost Master Fung and Raimundo. I should be mourning their loss. _

_But, this feels so surreal! At last, I am the leader that I was always meant to be. I can finally show the forces of evil how much power I truly hold... _He paused for a moment before it struck him._ …if we ever even have to face them again. Now that we have defeated Jack Spicer and obtained all of the Shen Gong Wu, the war may be over. _

He sighed in disappointment. This caused him to lose the balance he had sustained by concentration and roll, via his round, bald head, onto one side._ This really is one of those…how do they say it? Bittersour moments? Maybe going out for a nice walk will help me clear my head. _He pushed himself off the floor and wondered out of the room, heading towards the nearby forest.

The sound of his shoes shuffling across the ground, crinkling leaves as he went, was always a great way for Omi to erase tense thoughts from his mind. He took a deep breath of the fresh, crisp night air and, with a massive exhale, pushed his stress away. He sat down on the chilly ground and crossed his legs to meditate as a small firefly landed on his forehead.

Meanwhile, Jack Spicer was busy sneaking through the same woods as quietly as he could. He strained his memory from years ago, hoping that he could still remember the basic layout of the Xiaolin temple._ Just watch, I'll get all of my Shen Gong Wu back. Those Xiaolin losers haven't seen the last of the great Jack Spicer! _He had to satisfy his urge to gloat by laughing maniacally in his head, so as to prevent revealing his location. However, his shady cover was short lived when he tripped on a tree root, tumbling head first through the bushes and toppling over on top of something, or someone.

Omi was rudely snapped out of his tranquility by a tall, pale and boney figure knocking him over. The creature screamed in pain and shock as the two tumbled to the ground. Omi knew, by the high-pitched squeal, that it was none other than Spicer. He hopped to his feet and stared menacingly at his adversary, "Jack Spicer, how dare you show your face on my temple grounds. You will pay for this dishonor!" He grabbed the red-haired man by the collar and readied his fist to land a hit.

Jack cringed in fear, "Wait, wait, wait! Please, I-I didn't mean to dishonor you or whatever. I didn't even intend to kill your friend, it just kind of happened. But still, it is a war, you know? You really shouldn't let yourself get so out of control. Battles never go perfectly, and-"

Omi's mind snapped and his rage unleashed itself onto the defenseless villain. No longer holding back out of dignity or respect, the monk launched a fist into Spicer's face, knocking a tooth from the young man's mouth on impact, "You shut your tongue, Jack Spicer!"

Jack coughed and brought a hand to his face, flinching in pain when he touched his new wound, "OK. I bet that felt nice for you; getting all that anger out. You're good now, right? Can I go now? Please? Oh, and I think you meant "shut your mouth" with that one," he began to pat Omi's bald head with one hand, the other signaling that he wanted to escape by pushing on his attacker's chest.

"No! You may not go! I am sick of your pointless evil and dishonorable words. I told you that you would be punished and, even though I did not plan to, I will be glad to deliver it. I will not let you go until you feel the same level of suffering that you have caused so many!" Omi shouted in Jack's ear and punched his enemy in the stomach before releasing his grip on the young scientist's jacket.

The hit sent Jack to his knees, doubling over in a fit of coughs.

The assault did not end there. Next, Omi grabbed Jack's mop of red hair, which nearly matched the color of blood in the moonlight. Tugging him upright, Omi smashed a knee into his chin, forcing the mad scientist to spit out more teeth. Then, the monk sent a firm fist into his nose, splattering blood and snot across some nearby plants and, more than likely, breaking the young man's nose. After that, Omi threw Jack to the ground, screaming in his face, "How does it feel, Jack Spicer? Does it hurt? You do not even know the meaning of pain if this is all you can take!"

Jack could hardly move his hand to wipe the fluids from his face before he was attacked again. The furious monk threw a heavy kick directly into his side. Jack coughed up another mouthful of blood and cried out in pain as he brought an arm down to cradle his ribs, several of which had cracked when met with the impact of Omi's foot. The arm that Jack was not using to hold his side fell limp next to his body. The monk continued his unrelenting assault by stomping on this free arm with astounding force.

The attack was met with more screams as Jack could feel the bones in his lower arm being crushed, "OK! OK! Uncle! Uncle! I give up! Please, just stop! I can't take anymore! I learned my lesson already! Let me go, please!" He cried in pain, coughing up more blood, this time mixed with caustic stomach acid.

"You can cry to your family all you like Jack Spicer, but they will not help you. I do not believe that you have learned. You have not felt nearly enough pain to understand!" He reared his leg back for another kick and Jack winced in terror, preparing for the oncoming blow.

Yet, it did not come. At the moment that Omi was about to strike, he was stopped by the sounds of someone approaching.

"Omi, wait, stop! Don't do it!"

The little monk shot a glance back over his shoulder and saw that the voice had come from Kimiko, with Clay close behind her. The two were still in their pajamas and had urgent looks on their faces.

Kimiko had been awakened by the sound of Jack's screaming coming from outside and had immediately gone to rally Clay. Although, this had been with some difficulty as the cowboy was a very heavy sleeper. The pair had then attempted to awaken Omi and was shocked when they did not find him asleep in his space. They realized that their friend must have already heard Jack's screech, if not have been the source of it. The dragons were certain that they would find the two rivals together.

Yet, they would never have expected to see a blood-soaked Jack writhing in pain in the dirt with Omi towering over him.

Kimiko's heart wrenched at the sight and she felt tears begin to pool in her eyes. She had never before seen Omi become so vicious and could not stand to witness it. She rushed up to her friend, wrapped her arms around him and begged him to stop, "Please Omi, no more. No more violence and no more pain. Please…just…make it stop."

A drop of rain fell on the little monk's check and helped to cool his rage. Omi put his leg down and began to tremble with a hatred that was mixed with shame at his friends seeing him this way. As he felt Kimiko's warm and soft embrace, his mind began to pull itself out its adrenaline-induced rage and back to reality. _What's going on? What have I done?_ He questioned himself as he looked down at his hands, which were splotched with Jack's blood. He remembered pounding on his foe, but it was as if he had not been able to control himself during. Omi realized that his rage had overwhelmed him and had temporarily taken control of his conscious will.

As it began to rain harder, the sounds of water dripping onto the earth became the only noise that Omi could focus on other than the thoughts in his head. Thus, the sound of Clay's voice hardly registered with him, "C'mon Omi. Just let Spicer go."

Omi's reaction had little to do with Clay's words and more to do with the overload that was taking place inside his brain. He felt his stomach do a somersault and twist all of his guts into a knot. His clothes began to stick to his skin on account of their growing dampness.

The young monk fell to his knees, bringing the sobbing Kimiko down with him, and his shoulders collapsed. _Kimiko, Clay, what have I done? Did I do this to Jack Spicer? Why? What have I become? _His head was no longer able to hold itself up and his gaze descended to the mud in front of him.

Only Clay paid any mind to the pitiful sight of Jack struggling to get on his feet. Upon rising, the young scientist began to chuckle and taunt, "So Omi, how does it feel to be worse than me? At least I never beat anyone to a bloody pulp just for my own satisfaction," he winced and wrapped an arm around his torso.

Clay stomped up to Jack and towered over him menacingly, "Y'all had best get outta here before ya get yerself in a whole new world a hurt, Spicer."

The villain spat on the ground at the cowboy's feet and limped away, still clutching his injured ribs.

Omi may not have reacted to Jack's words physically, but this was simply because his brain was so preoccupied with thoughts that he could not focus enough to move his body. The sounds began to play in his head like a broken record. _How does it feel to be worse than me? …worse than me? …worse than me? _

The little man's body began to shake even more violently, forcing Kimiko to let go and take a few steps back, "Omi? What's-"

Clay put a hand on her shoulder and cut her off, "C'mon Kim, let's go. I reckon Omi needs some time ta think."

Kimiko deliberated for a moment, but realized that Clay was probably right. If Omi was kneeling in the mud and allowing his robes to get covered in filth, then he was most likely in a harsh state of mind. The last thing she wanted was to make the situation any worse. She nodded to Clay and the two headed back to the temple to do some thinking of their own.

This left Omi by himself in the rain.

As lonely a scene as it was, it gave Omi time to breathe and come to terms with what he had done. Several thoughts clouded his mind. _What has become of me? Did this one incident make me as horrible as Jack Spicer? Maybe Chase Young was right all those years ago. Perhaps there really is evil inside of me. Why have I been able to suppress it until now though? Is this what it means to be in power? I finally get what I have always wanted and it turns me into a monster? How could I let this happen? _Tears began to flow freely from his eyes, blending seamlessly with the rain that fell down his face.

Nothing made sense anymore. Their lives used to be so full of joy; so simple and innocent. Where had all of that freedom gone? Was this all real? Everything that was going on was so different from what they had always known. Was one life a lie and the other real? Which was which?

Omi was not the only one that questioned these things. Kimiko and Clay were weighing these ideas as well.

Sadly, none of them could answer any of those questions. At least, not in a way that made sense. None of them could accept what was happening. They had always been such close friends, but now something was pulling them apart. What could it have been that had held them together in the past? Master Fung? Raimundo? The war itself?

It seemed as though everything went sour when Raimundo had been killed by that chunk of metal. Perhaps it was the fact that they had never been exposed to death like that before. The new experience was a harsh one and only became more difficult to cope with when a similar event occurred the following day. It was not a surprise that the whole thing was putting strain on their emotions. They all just needed to admit that they couldn't handle it. Yet, they were all too proud to consent to their weaknesses. It was because of this that their relationship was doomed.

Dojo was the only one who came to realize this.

That night, he was curled up next to the shrine that had been arranged in Master Fung's room, thinking. He soon began to hope that his old friend's spirit could give him some guidance from beyond.

_Those poor guys; they've always been so close, and then all of this comes on. I've dealt with death before. I should've prepared them for this sort of thing ahead of time. _

He peered up at the photo of Master Fung and sighed. _You warned me that this would happen. I'm sorry Fung, I messed up. I should've told them how ill you were. Is there any hope left for them? Can I do anything to fix this? Please, I need some help. Can you give me a sign or something?_

The little dragon reached out a scaly hand and laid it onto Master Fung's old robes. He felt a tingling sensation shoot up his arm and yanked it back in shock. _What the- Was that you?_

He looked back and forth, hoping to find some trace of the old master. He couldn't see anything definite, so he closed his eyes and tried to use his finely-tuned dragon instincts to find something. He listened closely for any sound and took in deep breaths, feeling the thick air drift throughout his lungs, as well as against his rough skin. Focusing everything that his senses took in, Dojo was able to "see" a cloud surrounding the area where the shrine had been constructed.

He was there.

Master Fung was still with him. Perhaps it was the elder's chi energy or spirit remaining in the room. Dojo didn't care. He began to weep when he realized that he was not alone.

Then, it struck him. _That's it!_

His eyes popped open as he realized an epiphany. _That's what those guys need; each other! They just need to remember that they're all in this together. They need to be there to support each other. That's what friends are for. _

He instantly began contemplating ways that he could bond the warriors together again. The next day he would put a plan into action. He smiled as a lovely feeling of optimism filled his heart once more, "Thanks Fung. You're awesome, you know that? Completely and utterly awesome," he curled up next to the shrine again, snuggling close to the robes and staining them with a tear of mourning; joy; fear and, most of all, hope.

The next morning, the three dragons shuffled out onto the temple training grounds with the enthusiasm of a band of sloths. This hour would have traditionally been their training time, had things been running normally. Yet, the group could not even begin to think about exercise. They were far too tired after the night's excursions and sat, cross-legged, in a triangular formation on the ground. They didn't even have the energy to hold their heads up and stared woefully at the ground beneath them, wishing for sleep.

Kimiko and Clay were simply tired because they had woken up at an awkward hour and had faced trouble getting back to sleep afterwards. Omi's troubles were much more severe. Not only had he been awake in the middle of the night, his blood had been racing from his fit of rage. This boost of adrenaline was enough to force any person's brain into a state that was far more awake than it should've been that late at night. Even worse was that afterwards, when he had tried to sleep, his mind had been racked with horrible nightmares.

The little monk had experienced many visions of himself committing violent deeds and destroying all of the things that he loved.

Yet, the worst dream, which he could recall most clearly, was one where he was drifting in the middle of a lake alone. There was nothing around him for miles; only darkness and calm, still water. He drifted motionlessly in this place for what seemed like hours on end.

Then, he began to weep. Tears streamed uncontrollably down his face. As the tears flowed, the level of water in the lake began to rise. This increase in volume caused the body of water to begin engulfing Omi's body, slowly drowning him. Still, for some reason, he could not bring his body to move. Once the water had surrounded him completely, he began to shift his eyes back and forth desperately in an attempt to find something or someone to help him.

Looking directly over his head, the terrified monk saw visions of Raimundo and Master Fung slowly closing their eyes and drifting into the sky. Raimundo's body still had a large wound in its center, which began to drip blood into the lake. After only a few drops, the entire world of water around Omi was stained a hideous red.

As the entities above him vanished, Omi looked from side to side once again. This time, he could see Kimiko and Clay's bodies began to sink on either side of him. They appeared to be unconscious; inertly falling deeper and deeper into the bloody depths.

Trying with all of his strength to move, Omi received the same results as before and was unable to even twitch a finger. The only thing he could think of was how he was going to save himself, despite the situation that his friends were in. As he attempted to cry out and awaken the two so that they might come to his rescue, he felt a rush of water force its way into his lungs.

Then it hit him. His friends were in the same danger that he was. What right did he have to ask for their aid when he hadn't even thought of helping them?

He tried his best to cough and force the water out of his lungs, but his muscles tightened and he could not move. Because he could not move his chest, there was no way that he could get enough power behind his cough to force anything out. As the liquid pooled in his chest, his brain began to suffer from a lack of oxygen and the world around him became blurred.

In the end, everything went black.

Omi had woken up covered in a cold sweat, filled with terror at what he had just witnessed inside of his head. He realized that it was a dream, but it felt all too real. His chest felt swollen and heavy, so he coughed a few times to be sure that he could. Standing up, he stretched every muscle that he knew of in his body, thankful that he could finally move them. The nightmare had a meaning, and Omi knew it.

Yet, stubbornness was dominating his mind and forcing him to deny the truth. He refused to accept it. _It is not my fault; it is the world's. I do not need to change; everyone else does. _Repetition of these thoughts further convinced him that they were true._ There is nothing wrong with me. The rest of the world is having all of the problems. But those problems cannot last forever. Everyone will get over it in the end…right?_

With all of these things plaguing Omi's mind, it was obvious to see why his eyes had thick blue and brown rings underneath them. Kimiko and Clay could more than assume that his night had been one of, if not, the worst of his life. Yet, they did not want to press him or make things worse, so they said nothing.

The two of them had not had the best night either. After returning to their rooms, they had decided to talk things over and try to sort some of them out.

"Clay, what's wrong with Omi? Why is he acting this way? He's never been so cruel and heartless before. It's like he's only pretending to feel so guilty about Raimundo's death to make himself look like a better person. I don't understand. We were all such great friends. Where did all of the good times go? We've been through so much together, but now it seems like all that means nothing. We've fought together, cried together, grown up together…how can everything be so worthless all of a sudden?" Kimiko stared up into Clay's eyes, searching for some sort of wisdom that would answer to all of her questions.

Clay sighed and shook his head, knowing that he could not give her all of what she sought, "I can't say Kim. I can't tell ya why all our good times became so insignificant. I reckon it's simply because everythin' is always changin'. We can't stop what the world does, an' we can't change how it runs. We're all adults now. Things're bound to be different than when we were younger. I'm just afraid that Omi's goin' crazy with power. Power is a tough thing ta handle. Even the best'a folks can lose control when they have too much of it. I dunno what we should do 'bout it. I wish I had 'n answer, but I don't," he felt ashamed of himself for not having anything more to say.

Kimiko placed her head in her hands and tried to process all of what was happening. She wanted nothing more than to save their friendship, but could think of no way to do so. Their problems were becoming too massive to comprehend and did not know how to cope. Then, a thought came to her mind, "Clay," she muttered, more to the floor than to the man himself.

Clay leaned down to get a better listen, "Yeah Kim?"

She sighed; hardly believing what she was about to say, "Have you ever thought about what it would be like if we weren't here anymore? Like, if we just left the temple and lived out normal lives back home?"

His mind drifted nostalgically to the days that he had spent on his father's ranch back in Texas. He had cherished the endless hours spent learning the ways of a cowboy. Waking up a dawn, wrangling cows, wrestling pigs, galloping for miles on a horse's back; nothing seemed better than that at a time like this. All of his worries and struggles could just melt away under the strong heat of the sun over his home state.

But he shoved all of those thoughts down, knowing that his duties at the temple were far more important than living a normal, peaceful life. No matter how wonderful that existence could be, he needed to accept the task that he had chosen to take on. He was a Xiaolin monk and had no right to let any struggle, no matter how difficult, take him away from his place as such, "I've thought 'bout it, sure. But ya know, it just wouldn't seem right. I already gave up so much ta come here. You 'kin bet that I would'a loved to live a peaceful life on the ranch back home in Texas. But we have a job ta do here. We have'ta take care a' the Shen Gong Wu an' get rid a' evil. There ain't nothin' more important than protectin' the world."

His words were so noble that Kimiko suddenly felt guilty for even considering giving up on the temple. He was completely right on all accounts. She nodded, lying through her teeth, "Yeah, that's what I was thinking."

Clay knew that she hadn't told the truth, but chose not to say anything about it. Instead, he desided to assert one last opinion, "Now if'n there weren't no reason for us to stay since we didn't have'ta fight anything, that'd be a different story."

Kimiko's eyes widened in shock. It was as if Clay had read exactly what was on her mind.

The cowboy said nothing more and went back to his area of the room to sleep. Kimiko then decided that it was in her favor to do the same. The two both did their best to get back to sleep, although Clay had a bit more success than his companion.

And so, the next morning's scheduled training session was not met with a great amount of energy. As the three friends sat together with crossed-legs and closed eyes, there seemed to be an ease of tension between them. The simplicity of being together in silence was comforting and helped to make them feel a little bit closer. The fact that they had all thought things over was helpful as well.

Even so, it was not solving their problems. Overall, things were still quite problematic. Each of them wanted to say something to another, but was afraid to do so, or did not know how they would go about it.

They sat without speaking for some time. Finally, Omi raised his head and opened his mouth to break the silence, but was halted by the sound of Clay snoring. The lead monk slapped his face into his palm and a bead of sweat slid down the side of Kimiko's face when she looked up and saw that their friend had actually fallen asleep without moving.

"That can't be good for his neck," she quipped.

Omi nodded and massaged between his eyes with his thumb and index finger. The pair stared at their friend, unsure of what to do in a situation such as this.

Luckily, the two of them did not have to worry about waking their friend up. Dojo readily burst onto the scene and did so for them, "Hey you guys! Yeesh. Looks like somebody didn't get enough sleep last night," he slithered up the back of Clay's shirt and seated himself atop the cowboy's shoulder.

The act of a dragon's scales sliding up his back snapped Clay out of his restful state and back to reality. He shivered and grumbled in shock before noticing Dojo perched on his left shoulder, "Now, Dojo, ya know I don't appreciate that! Ya'll could'a just woken me up like normal."

The two other monks grinned and Kimiko even let out a soft chuckle. The little dragon grew an ear-to-ear grin, proud to have accomplished his goal of cheering them up, "Glad to see you guys're feeling better."

The group lost their short-lived smiles and once again took on solemn expressions as they glanced back down at the ground. 'Better' wasn't really a word they could use to describe how they were feeling at the moment.

Dojo sensed their pain and felt somewhat defeated. Yet, refusing to give up, he decided to find some other way to get his friends into a better mood. Perhaps some sort of fun group activity would help lift their spirits.

"Hey guys, I've got an idea," he hopped off of Clay's shoulder and expanded to his full-size form. He wrapped his body in close to them and gestured for the group to climb aboard, "How's about we all take the day off and go on a little trip someplace? We can hit a mall, or maybe a monument somewhere. Whadd'ya say?"

The group looked up at their dragon friend and smiled, thankful that he was trying his best to comfort them. They looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders, coming to a sort of silent "why not?" consensus. Dojo felt accomplished when he saw that the group did not object to his idea.

Not surprisingly, the sudden gurgling Clay's stomach was what reminded them that they had nearly skipped breakfast. After stopping by the kitchen to indulge in a quick meal of dry-cured ham and scrambled duck eggs, the group set off for what they hoped would be a day of fun.

"Hello passengers, welcome aboard Xiaolin Airline Incorporated," Dojo jested as he donned a blond wig and flight attendant cap, "Your stewardess today will be Dojiro, the lovely dragon before you. She will be accommodating all of your travel needs on this beautiful day," he waved a hand as he glanced behind him at the monks on his back.

The whole team could not help but crack smiles and a few muffled chuckles at the cross-dressing dragon. _All right, it's working! They're already starting to loosen up. Time for a day like no other; these guys deserve it._ Dojo thought to himself as he pulled out a fake microphone and spoke in a pseudo-feminine tone.

"Hello and good morning everyone. Thank you for flying with us today. I would just like to take this brief moment to mention a few safety precautions," this got a few eye rolls from the warriors, but the dragon quickly followed his set-up with the punch line, "Rule number one: please keep your hands and feet attached to the dragon at all times. Unless of course you plan on transforming into a cat so that you land on your feet. However, this is strongly discouraged, as cats have been known to treat innocent dragons very poorly," he recalled the times that Katnappé had allowed her genetically-altered kittens to attack his face and shuddered, "Not to mention the fact that an impact from this height would undoubtedly break quite a few bones," this prompted a few winces from the rest of the group as they nodded in consent.

"And second: have a damn good day!" He picked up speed and ascended higher into the atmosphere.

The friends looked at each other with mouths agape at hearing Dojo's language. Still, it was not the first time they had heard the dragon swear, so they laughed it off. His language had become slightly more vulgar as the warriors had gotten older, obviously because he figured he no longer had to restrain himself on account of their ages. They turned their attention instead to the view of the ground from their height thousands of feet in the sky, marveling at how microscopic everything looked. Skyscrapers had become the size of a child's toy building blocks and people were nothing more than tiny black dots; about as large as gnats.

Whenever the group had flown on Dojo's back in the past, they had not taken time to admire the simple beauty of nature beneath their feet. Now that there were no Shen Gong Wu or villains to distract them, the warriors could finally enjoy the simple serenity of the world with a view from on high. Sights which had been insignificant in the past now became marvels and monuments in themselves; trees which had turned a variety of colors and lost their leaves in the crisp autumn wind; vast, pure blue ocean waters that stretched for miles but took almost no time to cover; even the clouds around them that looked like flawless, fluffy pillows.

"So everyone, where would you like our first stop to be on this day of freedom?" Dojo's inquired, reducing his speed so that he could be heard clearly. Unfortunately, the effort was seemingly wasted, as it brought on no response from the gawking sightseers. He planted his face into his palm and started to undulate up and down in a vigorous, wave-like motion to catch their attention.

His strategy was successful this time, as the monks let out various cries of distress and hung on tightly to the dragon's back, "Okay Dojo, we heard you! You may cease now if you please," Omi took charge and the dragon stopped his mid-air convulsions.

"So, where to, Chief?" Dojo fixed his eyes on the leader and waited for a definitive answer.

Omi sat pondering in silence for a moment, but could not think of a specific place that he wanted to go. He did not want to ask for advice though. The young monk was too stubborn to even uncross his arms, let alone glance back over his shoulder to accept the ideas of his teammates.

As could be expected, Kimiko refused to be ignored and spoke up before Omi could come to a conclusion, "I say we should go to the Mall of America. I hear it's a great mall. Plus, we've already been to the Mall of the World, so why not? I bet the stores have gotten some awesome new winter shipments in. I really want to buy some new winter boots. My old ones have some Silk Spitter web stuck on them that just will _not _come off," she emphasized the word to make it evident that she had tried everything she could think of to clean her footwear, hoping that it would provide her a legitimate excuse to go shopping.

Clay nodded and added his own input to the plan, "That'd be a good time, but what 'bout lunch after that? We at least gotta save some cash for some Longhorn Restaurant t-bone steaks! That there is some dee-licious meat!" He made a fist and bent his arm into a 90 angle while swinging it back and forth in a renowned southern gesture.

Omi rolled his eyes, facing forward so that his friends could not see, "Well, I think we should only go to those two boring places after we go to see some great historical sites. I have heard much about a Big Bob and I-Full Tower in places very far from our home. I wish to go see them first, so as to gain more knowledge."

The two other monks felt a slight irritation at Omi's somewhat pompous rejection of their ideas.

Once he realized that Omi was talking about Big Ben in England and the Eiffel Tower of France, Clay tried to be the mediator and establish a compromise, "But I reckon we could see those anytime. How 'bout we go to them places after we go shoppin' and get our lunch?"

"But I want to see them first! Can we please visit those sites _before_ the lousy mall? Besides, we can get your steaks for dinner instead," although this sounded like a decent compromise, the tone in which Omi had said it only enhanced Kimiko's anger.

Sensing the tension, Dojo decided to step in and formulate a plan, "How's about this guys; we go to the mall first and get a good amount of shopping time in. After that, we can go to France for a nice lunch. I know this great little bistro in Camembert that makes the best fondue you've ever tasted. That way, we can stop by the two monuments while we're in the area too. Depending on how long we stay, we can either make some more trips or just head to dinner at the steakhouse. Does that sound good to everybody?"

Clay nodded and Kimiko chimed in, "Works for me."

Omi sighed and decided that he was not in the mood to argue; especially when that plan made a lot of sense, although he would not admit it out loud, "I suppose so," he muttered.

"Then it's settled!" Dojo made a slight turn to starboard and picked up speed again, "To the Mall of America!" He exclaimed, with Kimiko grinning gleefully all the while.

Upon their arrival to the massive mall, Dojo landed in the north lot and shrank to his portable size, attracting quite a few incredulous looks from uninformed strangers. Each warrior was stricken with awe as they passed the north garden and entered the building. It was huge! There were so many stores that they hardly knew where to start.

The group began to debate over what stores to visit, since they knew they wouldn't have time to hit all, or perhaps even half, of them. Kimiko's main interest was, obviously, clothing and accessory outlets. Clay leaned more towards sporting goods. Dojo was more inclined to visit gift shops with various knickknacks (particularly the Mall of America Gift Store that was directly to their left when they entered). All the while, Omi was completely overwhelmed and had no idea what he wanted to do.

Dojo seemed adamant about buying what he wanted, but realized that everyone else felt the same. He, again, took it upon himself to keep the team in order, "Well, how's about we split up and hit the stores we want, then meet back up here when we're all done?" He suggested.

The three monks all thought it was a good idea. But Omi, feeling it was his duty as grand dragon, took charge of making the final plans, "All right then, I have decided on what we will do. It is 7:30 am right now, therefore, we will each take slightly less than four hours to shop and meet back in this location at 11:30 am sharp to depart for lunch. Can we all agree on this?"

Kimiko looked slightly disappointed, knowing that four hours would be a slightly small window of time for what she had in mind. The young woman began to raise her hand and opened her mouth to speak, but Omi did not give her a chance to object.

"Great! It is the perfect plan. All right everyone, enjoy your shopping!" Omi smiled, full of confidence at having the opportunity to lead his group and proudly marched off to find something that interested him.

Kimiko frowned and her head drooped as she watched her friends wonder off. Yet, she realized that she could still have a ton of fun and refused to be discouraged. Her heart jumped as she noticed an adorable ensemble in the window of the Heritage 1981 to her right and scampered in, hoping to find the pieces in her sizes.

After their various mall excursions, the Xiaolin group met up in the designated location at 11:30 to head off and enjoy their lunch in France.

During the ride, each member of the team decided to show off the spoils of their shopping adventures. Kimiko was proud to display her variety of clothes, footwear, jewelry and handbags. Clay had chosen a simple approach by purchasing only a leather cowboy hat, a pair of spurred boots and some new lasso rope, which he happily promised to demonstrate with when they returned home. Dojo allowed the warriors to pick through his collection of novelty candles, bobble-heads and other useless knickknacks as he flew along. Lastly, Omi showed off his new belongings with vigor; pulling action figures, some kid's toys and a pool cue from his bags. He explained that all of his items were battle ready. He was especially proud of his new "staff" that he was sure would make even Master Monk Guan jealous. The little monk did not understand exactly why everyone else giggled when he said this, but decided not to question them. He found it safe to assume that they were mocking Master Monk Guan.

Next on their list was to spend some quality time in Europe.

Their lunch of cheese fondue at the bistro Dojo mentioned was absolutely delicious. It consisted of an array of small cubed items which were to be skewered and dipped into a warm, melted pot of Camembert cheese. The creamy, mild flavored cheese revealed a taste that reminded them of salted butter and matched perfectly with every side item; from airy cubes of French bread to berries and melon chucks. The meal was a very social one and everyone got a chance to converse between each dip. The meal became a bonding experience, with each member of the group picking items off of trays, recommending things to try, dipping them into the same pot and play-fighting with their skewers when heading for the same item as another.

Dojo had planned this all from the start and was glad to see the group bonding over a good meal. _Delicious and functional; you can't beat that._ The little dragon smiled to himself as his teeth slid a cheese-coated cube of croissant into his mouth.

After their lunch, the group travelled to their nearest destination; Paris. The city was vast and beautiful, with massive buildings as far as the eye could see. As they flew west towards the inner city, they saw it; the Eiffel Tower. Surrounded by trees and with a paved path leading to it, the immense structured towered over the entire city. Standing 324 meters (1,063 feet) from foot to spire tip, the triangular tower was one of the greatest marvels of architecture that the dragons had ever seen. The monks leaned over to get a better look and gasped in awe.

"You guys want to know a cool fact?" Dojo glanced back and received nods from the rest of the group. He turned his gaze back, so as not to accidentally fly into the tower, and continued, "This tower was built back in 1889. It was actually designed by an engineer to be the entrance arch to the World's Fair that year. The fair was a celebration of the 100th anniversary of an event that supposedly started France's war for independence."

"That's cool Dojo. I had no idea," Kimiko smiled.

_What's a "World's Fair"? _Omi wondered to himself. He looked at Kimiko and Clay's faces, hoping that one of them would ask so that he would not feel like a fool. However, they both looked as if they knew what Dojo was talking about and he was too embarrassed to ask. _If they know then it must be something I should know. I will just act like I know. I have been to a fair before. A "World's Fair" cannot be much different than what I have seen. _

"Yes, that is fascinating. The World's Fair that I went to once was such fun. I loved riding the roller coaster," he grinned and put his hands on his hips, expecting the rest of them to be impressed.

The remainder of the group glanced back at Omi, utterly confused. They all knew that the last World's Fair had been years ago and that the little monk had not gone to it. They also knew that none of the World's Fairs within his lifetime had included a roller coaster. All of them giggled to one another, knowing that he was lying.

The young monk could not tell why his friends were laughing._ Huh? No way! Did they go to the World's Fair? _He gasped. _Was the roller coaster actually a dull one? Oh no, now they are making fun of me! _He slumped in shame as they headed for the ground.

After climbing and exploring every level of the Eiffel Tower, the team left France for England. Hovering over the city of London, Kimiko tapped Dojo on the back, "So, do you know anything neat about Big Ben, Dojo?"

The dragon tapped his chin for a moment, "Well, it was finished back in 1858 and I believe it's the second largest free-standing clock tower in the world. Or is it the third? I always forget."

"That is very interesting. Look at all of the buildings around here too! This is amazing!" Omi smiled happily and everyone nodded, charmed by his innocent fascination.

After exploring the clock tower from the ground, the group decided that it would be fun to ascend once more and sit on the top. They perched on the edge of the roof and dangled their feet over the side.

Dojo sat atop Clay's hat, curled up in the dip at its center, "So, it seems like we still have time to go somewhere else before dinner. Is there anywhere in particular you all want to go?"

Kimiko placed her chin in her hands, with elbows resting on her knees, "I don't think so. Is there anything you guys want to do?" She turned to the others.

Clay shrugged, "I dunno. I'm thinkin' we could just stay right here 'n chat if ya'll want."

The young woman pondered a bit before responding, "That sounds nice, but how about we go somewhere and watch the sun set? That's something that always puts me at ease. Dojo, do you know where the sun is setting right now?"

Contemplating this for a moment, the dragon soon came up with an answer, "Well, based on what time it is right now, I think that we could catch a sunset in Brazil pretty soon."

This immediately struck an emotional note with everyone, as they instantly recognized Brazil as Raimundo's homeland. Although their leader had always wanted to show them his birthplace, there had never been enough time on account of the war. The group felt that this would perhaps be a good way to pay homage to their fallen comrade.

"I think that we should go. What do you think Omi?" Kimiko agreed and turned her attention to their leader.

Omi stared out into the distance and nodded, too calm to find any objection with the idea, "Yes. I think that sounds like a very nice plan," he smiled back at his friends and they all felt a mysterious warmth between them, even though their faces were being hit by the drift of a chilly autumn breeze.

The flight to Brazil did not take long and gave the group ample time to find the perfect viewing spot. A strange force seemed to guide them to one location, which was a hilltop overlooking Rio de Janeiro. The location had a wonderful view of the city, while nothing obstructed their vision into the sky. Although it did not occur to them until they got there, they all soon realized that this was the exact area of Brazil that Raimundo had come from. This made the location even more serene as they all sat down on the cool grass to take in the sights.

The sunset was beautiful. Each color that appeared was the most vibrant tone imaginable. The soft sky blue blended flawlessly into a shade of red that looked nearly pink. The pink then faded into a deep orange, the likes of which might come from the rind of a blood orange. Closest to the sun itself, there was a goldenrod yellow that very nearly reminded the group of Omi's head.

The whole spectacle was fantastic and they almost didn't want to leave. However, every one of them (Clay in particular) began to feel a rumbling in their stomachs that could not be ignored.

The cowboy stood up, "All right y'all, how's 'bout we go get us somethin' ta eat?"

Everyone looked at one another and nodded; both from their own hunger, and because they all knew that it was never a good idea to deny Clay a meal when he wanted food.

"You got it kids!" Dojo hopped off of the hill and enlarged his frame before their eyes to fly and avoid taking a nasty fall, "Hop on!" Everyone climbed aboard and they took off for the Longhorn Steakhouse Restaurant. They chose the location in San Antonio, Texas, since it was Clay's favorite.

The group entered the restaurant and was promptly seated by a kind young waitress with a ruby-colored bobbed haircut. Not until they all sat and were asked for their drink orders did they recognize her.

Clay was eager to be the first to order his drink. He looked up from the menu that had been at the table when they were seated and was flabbergasted when he realized that their waitress was one of the Black Vipers. He gasped, causing the rest of the group to look up and probe their memories for her face. They all recognized who she was as well, leading the girl to blush and avert her gaze, "Well I'll be a blue-skinned, toothless copperhead! Y'all was with ma sister in the Black Vipers. What 'n tarnation 'r you doin' workin' in a steakhouse like this?" Clay inquired.

The redhead glanced back at Clay's face, so as not to appear rude to a customer, "Well, ya see…the Black Vipers kinda split up, so I had to git a job 'n start makin' an honest livin'. By the way, I'm right sorry 'bout all the trouble we caused y'all. It was wrong of us ta be such an awful gang 'n ta harass ya the way we did. Guess I should introduce maself too, seein' as how I'd like ta git rid a' all the hard feelin's an' I didn't git the chance last time. Ma name's Mindy," she took a slight bow and smiled, hoping for forgiveness.

The Xiaolin were happy to oblige and Omi took the lead, "It is very nice to know that you have twisted to the other ear and are no longer on the side of evil. We are pleased to make your acquaintance."

There was a moment of silence as a puzzled look crossed Mindy's face. Kimiko decided to translate, "I'm sure he meant 'turned the other cheek.'"

Mindy nodded in comprehension and smiled, "Thank y'all fer understandin'."

Clay knew that it was probably not best to bring up the issue here, but could not help himself, "Oh, um, Mindy. Would ya happen ta know what happened ta Jessie after yer gang split?"

The same question had been on the rest of the team's minds and they all looked up at Mindy inquiringly. She sighed and shook her head, "Na. She just up 'n decided one day that she wanted to split, 'n we'all agreed that we couldn't stick tagether without 'er. She was the best leader we eva' had. I reckon I'll never know why she broke it up so suddenly," she shrugged, "Ah well. What's past is past. So, what can I get y'all ta drink ta-night?"

The group all ordered their drinks and Mindy left to fetch them.

At first, the atmosphere at the table was a bit somber, as everyone was pondering what could have become of Jessie. Yet, Clay refused to let his troubles with his sister get in the way of their dinner and decided to lighten the mood.

"I'm just hopin' that Jessie finally went straight an' found somethin' good ta do with 'erself. She may not'a been the purest girl, but she has a good spark in 'er. I do love ma sister."

Everyone smiled at Clay and Omi put a hand on his shoulder, "Do not worry. I am sure that your sister has come to the side of good. I could always sense that she was a good person. And I am never wrong about these kinds of things."

Kimiko nodded in agreement, ignoring her leader's concluding egocentric remark, "Yeah. I mean, she did return all of the Shen Gong Wu, even the Wings of Tinabi after she borrowed them for that couple of years. I bet she found a job and decided to live a normal life, just like Mindy."

Dojo decided to join in, "Those two are right, big guy. You should definitely be proud of your sister for turning over a new leaf."

The cowboy smiled at his friends' words, "Thanks guys. That means a lot. Although, Kim, I can't right see ma sister doin' anythin' "normal" to be honest."

The group chuckled and believed that Clay was probably right.

A few minutes later, Mindy returned bearing a tray of drinks and delivered them to the proper recipients. She propped the round tray under her arm and pulled a pen and small notepad out of her apron pocket, "Would y'all like an appetizer to start with, or are ya ready ta order yer meals now?"

The group glanced to one another across the table and nodded in the consensus that they would just take entrées, as none of the appetizers had stricken their fancy. Omi spoke for the group, "I think we are all ready for our meals now."

"A' right then. What'll ya have Clay?" She gestured to him with her pen since he was the closest to her, but stopped him before he could answer, "Ah, wait a minute, I forgot. I can't take yer order first. It's a rule that ya always ask any ladies first. Proper servin' etiquette; I'm always gettin' busted fer that," she shuffled to an open space behind Kimiko's right shoulder and corrected herself, "May I take _yer_ order?"

Everyone giggled and Kimiko smiled at their server, "Sure. I'll take the Grilled Chicken and Strawberry Salad."

Mindy scribbled the order on her pad and proceeded to take Omi's order next, going in the proper fashion of moving to the customer's left to reach the next guest. After writing his choice a rare-cooked Grilled Fresh Rainbow Trout, Mixed Green Salad and Seasoned Rice Pilaf; she continued her clockwise direction. Clay asked for a Fire-Grilled T-bone, grilled medium rare, with a Caesar Salad and Loaded Baked Potato on the side. Dojo finished with his choice of the Cowboy Pork Chops, asking for them to be cooked rare with a Caesar Salad and an order of Mashed Potatoes to go along.

Mindy read off the orders once more to confirm and, upon receiving no digressions, scampered off to the kitchen, promising to return ASAP.

While they waited for their orders, the group engaged in some light conversation. They shared more stories of their mall adventures and discussed some of their old tales from back home.

The whole time, Dojo was proud that they were getting along once again. For the first time in days, everyone seemed to be friends again. It almost brought a sentimental tear to his eye to see how happy they were.

They were all enjoying their time to chat when, somehow, Clay knew by instinct that their food was coming. Before Mindy even made it to the table, he clapped his hands and began rubbing them together hungrily, "An' here we go!" He took in a massive sniff and let out his trademark hoot, "Hoo-wee! Man, there ain't nothin' like the smell of a freshly charred steak, I tell ya!" He grinned ravenously as Mindy proceeded to place each order in front of its respective diner.

The waitress noticed the expectant looks that each of her customers had and giggled, "Here y'all are. Enjoy!" She chirped with a smile as she moved on to her next task.

The amount of discussion held at the table was greatly reduced as everyone dove into their meals.

No one was disappointed. The proteins were all cooked exactly as they had been ordered and were succulent and juicy. The salad greens were crisp and the side dishes were hearty and flavorful enough to stand alone.

Clay was especially thrilled to have a real Texas meal. By no means did he dislike the Asian food that they gave him at the temple, he just appreciated the nostalgia of a thick and juicy steak with all the fixings. Even the others were happy to have something different for a change and gobbled down their dinners with great satisfaction.

Not long after they had finished their entrées, Mindy returned to clear their plates, "Did y'all enjoy everything?"

She received simultaneous nods from the entire table and smiled politely, "Glad ta here it. Now, can I interest y'all in some dessert?"

Even though their stomachs were full, everyone perked up at the idea. Everyone in the group concluded that they could afford dessert, based on the fact that they had skipped the appetizers. Of course, they all realized that this was just an excuse and that they would have accepted Mindy's offer either way.

Seeing sparkling eyes and cheeky grins all around, Mindy giggled and handed the group a dessert menu, "I reckon a group like yer's might enjoy our LongHorn Dessert Sampler. Get's y'all a lil' taste of all the best desserts we offer," she recommended.

The group could find no reason to disagree, "That sounds good. We will order one to share," Omi spoke for everyone.

"Comin' right up! I'll make sher ta git some extra utensils, as I'm sure yer each gonna need one of yer own," she checked everyone faces and did not see anyone dispute her idea. So, she marked their table with additional silverware and then headed back to the kitchen to fire their order.

It did not take as long for the dessert to arrive as it did the entrées. This, along with the fact that their bellies had expanded to a nearly uncomfortable size, caused there to be little conversation during the wait.

They all knew that they would undoubtedly regret eating so much, but it would be worth it to have such a delicious meal. After all, they did not have this opportunity very often. Besides, a satisfying dinner was a great way to rebuild a relationship; so why not get the whole experience? Everyone knows that no matter how full someone gets, they always have room for dessert, right?

Their hearts jumped when they saw Mindy coming out of the back with a large dish on her serving tray. Atop the platter were three cake-like items; chocolate, apple and cheesecake offerings, with various flavors of ice cream on top. The four diners had their spoons at the ready before their server could even put the dish on their table. Still, they held back until she left, so as not to seem gluttonous.

"Here ya are. An' here's yer bill too. Y'all enjoy now!" Mindy grinned as she put the dessert in front of them and placed their bill booklet close to the edge of the table.

_Oh, I don't think there'll be any problem with that. Aw geez, why did I have to promise to treat them to whatever they wanted?_ Dojo thought to himself after looking over the check. He placed the appropriate amount in the book and slipped an $11 tip under a drink glass as he watched everyone dive for their first bites, quickly joining in afterwards.

Every item on the platter was a symphony of sweet delight. The apple and chocolate cakes had been delivered so quickly that they had still retained some warmth and began to melt the ice creams that they were paired with. The cheesecake was thick and creamy, with a crust that was still crisp and not soggy at all, proving that it was well-baked and fresh. Everyone at the table got to have a taste of each. Thankfully, there was enough that no one was left fighting over the last bites. Clay was happy to finish the final morsels of each element and prevent his friends from having to eat more than they could handle.

Mindy came back and admired the group's satiated faces as she picked up the bill, "So, I 'kin see y'all musta enjoyed everything," everyone nodded lazily, attempting to fight off their food-induced comas, as she checked over the cash that had been left in the book, "Looks like yer all set now," she glanced down at the table and noticed her tip, "Aw, thanks a bunch. Y'all didn't have'ta leave so much; yer so sweet. Come again now, ya hear?" The young woman smiled as she removed her tip and watched her guests lift themselves, with considerable effort, from their chairs.

"Thank you, Mindy. It was very nice to see you. I am certain that we will be able to come see you again one day," Omi responded, holding his bloated stomach.

Everyone else mimicked his gesture of surfeit and nodded in polite consensus before heading out to go home.

Dojo's center of balance was slightly thrown off by the amount of food in his stomach. Yet, miraculously, the team made it back to the temple without any casualties.

Upon their return, they decided to sit together for a while and talk about some things that they needed to get off the chests. They sat in a circle with crossed legs, much like the way that they had in the morning, and took a few minutes before speaking.

Omi was the first to speak and chose to tackle one of the most severe issues, "Well everyone. I would like to address the hippo in the building right now. Are you all content with me being your leader?"

There was silence for a moment, and not because they had to interpret the fact that Omi had meant to say 'the elephant in the room.' It took time for Kimiko and Clay to think of the best way to answer their friend's question, so they chose not to speak until they were ready.

Dojo had previously anticipated this question and had already formulated a response. He took the silence as an opportunity to insert his opinion and give the two warriors some time to think, "As far as I'm concerned Omi, it doesn't matter either way. Personally, I think you can handle it, and I know you best. You've got determination and skill. You could just use some tuning up in a few other areas, if you know what I mean."

Kimiko and Clay felt the same and nodded to show it. Omi was puzzled by the ambiguity of Dojo's remark, "What do you mean by that exactly?" His heart had felt a pang of guilt and offense, which was reflected in his voice.

The dragon winced a bit at the snap in Omi's tone, even though he had expected to be met with some frustration. He scratched the back of his head, probing his brain for the least offensive way to say what he wanted to.

"Look, don't take this the wrong way, but you're just not used to being the leader yet. You've always been," he paused for a moment to keep from using the wrong words, "confident in yourself. But you need to understand that it takes more than that to be a good leader. If you're going to be in charge, you have to be able to adapt to any situation. This especially means listening to your teammates if they want to do something differently."

Kimiko agreed and could not help but interject, "Dojo's right. I feel like you never want to listen to what we have to say. Our opinions are just as valid as yours. You need to take our thoughts into consideration before you make a decision."

It took a moment for Omi to fully comprehend what his friends were saying. He had always been single-minded. It just never crossed him to consider other people's ideas against his own. It seemed childish to those around him, but he could not help it. He usually figured that he was right since he was always eager to step in and take charge of any situation. He believed that the person in charge, or whoever he thought should be, always knew best. Perhaps it was his upbringing. He had always listened to his master and never questioned the words of any elder. He had always just assumed that the word of the person in charge was law and should never be opposed, except to overthrow when there was dire need. The very concept of a leader integrating other people's opinions into their own was such a stretch that he could hardly wrap his mind around what Kimiko and Dojo were suggesting.

The struggle began to put a strain on his mind and he could not help himself from turning it into a challenge, "Well, maybe your ideas _are_ just wrong! If I am the leader, it is my duty to decide what the best thing to do is. Why would you want to doubt my ideas?" He did not realize what he had said until after it came out. The moment he saw Kimiko's eyes moisten with tears, he felt an even stronger sense of guilt wretch through his chest.

Not content to be a damsel in distress, Kimiko lashed back, "Well maybe you're not always right! Maybe we're right sometimes! You should at least consider what we have to say before you just assume that your opinion is the only one that matters!" She pounded her fist into her leg, "The word 'assume' says it all. You just assume that things are what you think. You never stop to consider anything different than what you believe to be true. And then you figure that other people are in the wrong for trying to tell you something else. It's like the saying goes, 'If you assume, you make an ass out of 'you' and 'me'!' That's why you'll never be as good a leader as Raimundo was!"

Time seemed to stop after those words came out of Kimiko's mouth. Everyone's jaws dropped, even her own. There were horrible feelings all around, but the fact that no one could readily dispute the young woman's outburst made the atmosphere even tenser.

Omi's first reaction would have been fight or flight, but he forced himself to hold it together. Instead of continuing the conflict by sticking to his old ways, he took a moment to adopt their suggestions and ask for other opinions, "Clay, Dojo, is that how you feel as well?" He inquired without looking up from his lap.

Kimiko knew that her choice of words had been too harsh and wanted to take them back, but was stopped by Omi holding up a hand to her face. The little monk had sensed that she was going to speak, but did not want to hear it. He followed by waving his hand, this time gesturing the other two to continue.

Dojo let his eyes float to Clay, figuring it best that the quiet cowboy finally get a say in the whole ordeal. Clay took the opportunity, but was a bit overwhelmed and had very little to say, "Well, I reckon I can't say I disagree with Kim completely. Still, I don't doubt that it's possible fer ya to become a great leader, Omi. Ya just need s'more experience."

Omi still did not lift his gaze.

Dojo tried to offer an ease to the tension, "At least look on the bright side you guys. We're not at war anymore. Omi has plenty of time to learn more about leading before he may ever actually need to put it to use, right?"

Unfortunately, no one listened to the little dragon's sense of reason.

After a few more minutes of silence, Omi decided to bring up the thought that was on everyone's mind. He forced the lump in his throat aside and took a deep breath before letting it out, "Well, if you two are not content here, then maybe you should leave."

Dojo's heart dropped to his tail and he leapt to the middle of their circle, demanding full attention, "No! What're you saying Omi? Are you really telling them to leave, just like that? What about all that you've been through? I know the fight with the Heylin is pretty much over, but isn't that-"

Omi cut him off, "I am not forcing them to leave Dojo," he shifted his gaze up to his friends' faces, "I just want the two of you to live the best lives that you possibly can. If you feel that you would rather return home than stay here at the temple, I would like nothing more than for you to do so."

Kimiko and Clay had to avert their gazes and were unable to look at their leader out of culpability. They had talked about this and had concluded afterwards that they did not see any reason to stay now that the war was over. Still, it was hard to say that they wanted to leave so suddenly. After all of their years fighting and growing together, could everything really end in an instant?

Kimiko realized that she had no choice, "I want to go home."

The words pierced Omi's heart like a dagger. He had not expected such an absolute answer on the spot, "I see," he responded calmly, using all of his will to keep his emotions from showing through. He turned to focus on his other teammate, "Clay, is that how you feel as well?"

The cowboy had to take a moment to process all of what was happening. He had not realized how serious Kimiko had been about returning home and had not fully weighed the benefits of doing the same, "I can't really tell ya right off the bat like this," he took a pause, "But, way I see it, there ain't really much good I 'kin do here anymore. I reckon I could be of more use to ma Daddy back on the ranch. I mean, not to be rude 'er nothin', but I don't really think y'all need me 'round here now that the war's over."

It pained Kimiko and Clay to say these words just as much as it hurt Omi to hear them. No matter how lightly they put it, the end result was the same. They were leaving the temple to return to their normal lives. The fact that they were giving up their monkhood was not shameful. Yet, it felt so because they were abandoning their dearest friends.

It was essentially not a surprising action. In the modern day and age, the traditions of an ancient Xiaolin temple were not an appealing way of life. The world was changing and neither Omi, nor Dojo, nor anyone else could stop it completely.

"Very well," the lead monk nodded calmly and solemnly to appear in control. Meanwhile, on the inside, his chest felt swollen and his head began to ring with a dull ache from all sides, "You may leave whenever you are ready. However, I would like to invite you to stay at least for tonight so that we can all say good bye and spend one last night together."

As hard as Omi tried to put on a Zen mask, Kimiko and Clay could sense that he was in pain. They knew him well enough to expect it. The two leaned over and gave their friend a massive hug, crushing Dojo in the middle. The little dragon did not care though. He was simply heartbroken at what he was hearing. After thousands of years of living through war, death and disaster, seeing such close friends have to leave one another this way was the most painful thing that he had ever witnessed.

Everyone went into the bedroom quarters together to pack Kimiko and Clay's belongings. There was little conversation between them, other than the occasional, "Where should I put this?" or "Are you _really_ going to keep that?"

After all was said and done, the group decided to go outside once more to enjoy their last moments together. Dojo felt uncomfortable intruding and left the warriors to themselves.

The monks laid down on the grass in a triangle and stared up at the night sky. It was a beautiful sight. All of the stars danced with vibrant color around a delicate, waning crescent moon. The stars looked as though they were making patterns against the clear, dark sky and each of the three friends saw different shapes within them.

"Look at that y'all, looks like there's a pig right ther' wrestlin' a chicken," Clay pointed upward and traced the shapes that he was seeing with his finger.

Kimiko giggled, "Really? It looks like there's a puppy chasing a ball over there to me. And I can see an absolutely gorgeous pair of shoes right there," she gestured toward the sky as well to let them know where she was looking.

"I think you are both wrong. I do not see a pig, a puppy or a shoe. All I see is…" Omi squinted to get a better view of the shape, "a squirrel!" He screamed in fear and curled into the fetal position on his side. Kimiko and Clay both burst into laughter and the little monk could not help but do the same.

They spent the next few hours pointing out the variety of designs in the stars and sharing more fun stories. After a while, they felt as if the mood had been lightened enough that they could move on to what was on everyone's mind.

"So, how do you plan to live out your lives at home?" Omi's inquiry was of a genuine curiosity, so it did not make the other two uneasy.

Clay, always the gentleman, allowed the lady to speak first.

Kimiko hummed in thought for a moment, "Well, I guess I'll just go back and help Papa with the company. I mean, it's a lot for one man to handle and I'd really like to give him a hand. I'm not sure where life'll take me, but I can't wait to find out!" She answered excitedly.

Omi chuckled, "What about you, Clay?"

Clay rubbed his chin in thought, "Mmm…Reckon I'll just be goin' back to help Daddy out on the ranch. I feel the same as Kim in a lot'a ways. Daddy might be needin' help runnin' the ranch. The older he gets, the rougher it must be to take care 'a the animals all by 'imself. Then, I'll prolly settle down with a nice gal 'n…" the cowboy stopped when he noticed the awkward expressions on his friends' faces, "What? Ain't that everybody's dream, er 'm I just a sucker fer the old fashioned American romance?"

Their laughter filled the chilly evening air with the magic of friendship. It was at that moment that they all came to realize that no matter what came between them, they would always be the best of friends. All three fell asleep together on the temple lawn without a care in the world.

The next morning, Kimiko and Clay prepared for their departure, each taking turns packing their belongings on Dojo's back. Omi was there to see them off after they had finished.

Although they felt comforted by their bond as a team, there were still tears all around. Dojo was the most sentimental and gushed rivers of tears as he grabbed them all in a massive and constricting group hug. The warriors chuckled until they lost their ability to breathe and their faces began to turn blue; at which point, the dragon released them.

Their final goodbye was not a completely sad one. They all had accepted their fate. There were no regrets among any of them, as they all knew that their experiences together had taught them invaluable lessons and left them with memories that they would never forget.

In the end, Omi wished only the best for his friends. As he waved goodbye, he could only think of the great futures that they had ahead of them. _Good luck you two. May you both live long and prosperous lives._


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - An Old Friend

"Wow…That is so sad, Uncle Omi. I can't believe that happened to you," Raymundo glanced down and frowned at the tragic tale.

"Those kids were such great friends. It still makes me cry just thinking about them having to leave each other," Dojo sniffled after swallowing a mouthful of rice.

Omi smiled at patted his young disciple on the back, "It was not very sad, Raymundo. I am quite certain that my two dearest friends have found satisfaction in the paths that they have chosen for their lives. And I am also certain that your grandfather is watching over them from above. He will always be our true leader," the aging man radiated wisdom as he smiled and gave a quick glance upward to emphasize his point.

The young boy took another bite of shrimp from his chopsticks, "So, can you tell me the story of how I came to live here? Grandpa Dojo always says that it is an interesting story," his eyes glowed with curiosity.

The older monk sighed as he thought back, "Well, it is not the most honorable tale to tell, and I am sure 'Grandpa Dojo' knows that," he shot the little dragon an irritated look

Dojo quickly looked away and stuffed another large piece of shrimp into his mouth.

"Oh, I am sorry to hear that. But, can you still tell me? Please, Master. I believe I can handle it," the young monk persisted in his inquiry.

Omi directed his gaze back to Raymundo and smiled solemnly, "All right, I suppose I can."

He placed his chopsticks on their rest. This signaled that he was finished eating, but also that his food would be too cold to enjoy after he finished telling such a long tale.

"It was not long after Kimiko and Clay left the temple that everything began.

"A young woman claiming to be Raimundo's former girlfriend came to the temple with your mother wrapped in her arms. She explained that, while she was with your grandfather, they had conceived a child, but the relationship had gone sour and ended before they realized it. Therefore, she had been left alone with an unforeseen baby girl.

"Your grandmother begged me to take her child because she claimed she could not care for it any longer. I requested that she do her best to keep the baby (as I personally know the struggles that a child must face when they are not raised by their birth family), but she forced until I could resist no more. Without even telling me her name, she thrust the little one into my arms and ran away, her eyes gushing with tears. Yet, when I called out to her and asked for the baby's name, she told me that she had named the child Abidemi.

"And thus, I was left to raise your late mother as if she were my own. Fortunately, I received considerable help from others here at the temple. Yet, it was a challenge. As you know, it is rare that a woman comes to our temple and so we monks know very little about parenthood. I decided it best to raise her with full knowledge of her father's legacy and she grew to be very proud of her ancestry, even taking on your grandfather's family name of Pedrosa.

"Your mother was not a great warrior like Raimundo was. She could not control the wind (much like you) or fight evil. It is unclear to us if elemental abilities arise only in certain generations, but that is a topic for another day.

"Luckily, there were few times that we were confronted by villains. The only evil that I can remember facing within that time is Jack Spicer. I have heard that Jack Spicer had a son as well, but I have yet to see him with my own eyes.

"Because she did not train for battle, your mother played a large part in running the temple. She took care of much of the cooking, cleaning, caring for plants and other mundane tasks."

"Which we all appreciated, since you can bet your butt that no one else around here wanted to do them," Dojo interjected with a hint of accusation at all of the other monks in his voice, since he had taken on the majority of said tasks in the time before Abidemi's arrival.

Omi did not deny the claim and continued with his story, "Even though she did not fight, we did allow her the honor of assisting with the great burial of the Shen Gong Wu when she was young. Do you remember what I have told you about this?"

Raymundo swallowed his bite of bok choy and nodded vigorously, "Yeah! The Shen Gong Wu were all of those magical items that Grand Master Dashi created. You, Auntie Kimiko, Uncle Clay and Grandpa Raimundo all collected them when they revealed themselves to keep them out of evil hands. But once you had gotten them all, you realized that they were too dangerous to keep on the surface, so you decided it best to bury them somewhere that evil could never find them again, right?"

The master nodded, proud of his student's attentiveness, "That is correct. And, using an ancient magical spell, we put a seal around them so that they would not give off a scent or signal to any form of detection. Even Dojo could not find them now."

Raymundo and Omi glanced over at the pudgy dragon, who shrugged, "The man's right. I couldn't find them if I tried. You never even told me where you hid the dang things! I still feel so left out," he began to sob, leaping onto Omi's bald head in a slithering hug.

The monk felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead, but chose not to bring up the argument again. He put his face into his palm, thinking to himself,_ I have told you this repeatedly Dojo. It was not my intention to 'leave you out.' I was just being safe and telling as few as possible. We have witnessed Wuya read minds and do not know the powers that other villains may possess. Risks cannot afford to be taken._

The dragon noticed that he was not going to get any pity from either monk, so he scooted back into his chair and munched on some more rice.

"As I was saying, your mother helped us to bury the Shen Gong Wu. And then, years later, perhaps when Abidemi was about twice the age you are now, she met a handsome monk from a neighboring temple. His name was Fong Zhe Qiang; hence your full name, Fong Zhe Raymundo. Your mother chose to give you a title that took elements from both your father and grandfather names, as they were the two men that she had the strongest feelings for in this world.

"The two of them left together and she lived at his temple for a few years.

"After a time, your mother returned, bringing dire news. Qiang had been killed in a tragic training accident in which he had tried to climb a mountain without a safety line."

Dojo sighed, "If only he'd had the Jetbootsu."

Omi shot the dragon a glance so that he knew it was the wrong time to make such an abrupt comment. Dojo apologized, placed his chopsticks on their rest and left the table, leaving the master alone with his disciple.

"I apologize for that, Raymundo. Dojo meant well. He was simply overprotective of Abidemi when she was alive and did not always approve of her relationship with Qiang."

Raymundo waved it off, showing the nonchalant side that he seemed to have inherited from Raimundo, "No worries. I don't mind. But thanks for being considerate of my feelings."

Omi smiled at the boy's respect, knowing that it was one trait that he did not derive from his grandfather's genetics, "You are welcome. Now, I will get back to the story.

"After Qiang's death, Abidemi was heartbroken and came to me with a devastating secret. She was pregnant with her lover's child. It shocked me to hear that she would have Qiang's child, as their partnership had not yet received the blessing of marriage. I could tell that this fact weighed heavily on your mother's heart as well. She perceived your father's death as punishment to her for her impious behavior. Still, I told her that those thoughts should not fill her mind. There were far more important issues at hand at the time.

"Everyone at the temple assisted your mother during her pregnancy. I was even there when she began to give birth and nearly fainted as I rushed her to the doctor to deliver," Raymundo chuckled and Omi rubbed the back of his head bashfully.

"Yet, I had more reason to worry than I realized at the time. You see, as well as your mother was able to conceal it, she was still greatly distressed about your father's death. So much so that she had not taken very good care of herself during her pregnancy. Not because of you, but because she was still in mourning. Trust me when I say that she cared very deeply for you and fought valiantly for your life.

"Her body was under such great stress that the doctors soon realized that she could not deliver you and live herself. They gave her the choice; they could either remove you surgically (which would have killed you) or she could deliver you and sacrifice her own life. She did not even hesitate. She told them immediately that she would sacrifice anything to give you the chance to live. And so, on that fateful day, you, Fong Zhe Raymundo, were born a natural birth, weighing 6 lbs 5 oz, on the first day of November at 3 am."

Raymundo was flabbergasted to finally hear the full story of his past. It was tragic, and yet so epic at the same time! It made him shed tears of joy. He felt so overwhelmed that he could not help but put his chopsticks down (on their rest, of course) and rush over to give his master a massive hug, "Thank you so much for telling me everything, Uncle Omi. It makes me feel fulfilled to finally know all of the truth. I feel at peace now. I promise that I will bring honor to my family; especially to my grandfather, the grand dragon, Raimundo Pedrosa. I will become the most powerful Xiaolin warrior in the world!"

The master smiled proudly at his student's ambition.

Omi had always doubted the way that he had raised the young man, fearing that he had been an inadequate parent-figure. Yet, somehow, seeing Raymundo's reactions and hearing the young man's words of respect tonight validated everything that the elder had done over so many years.

Omi had dedicated so much of his life to raising both Abidemi and Raymundo. At this moment, he finally realized that, although he may not have been the perfect parent or in the ideal situation to become one, he had done a good job. The man embraced his student, shedding his own joyful tears.

"For the love of all things demonic! Why won't this damn spell work?"

Geoffrey Spicer jumped at the sounds of crashing coming from his basement. _My goodness! What in the world could Jacki be doing down there?_ He worried as he wandered down the steps to check on his daughter.

Jeff's daughter, Jacklyn, was furiously throwing her Heylin spell books around the room, which accounted for all of the noise. _It's just a simple transmutation spell! How can I not get this right? _She pounded her head in frustration, "Argh! What the hell? Turning iron into gold is so 18th century alchemy. How come I can't figure this out? I need a goddamn cup of pudding."

She massaged her temples and walked over to her fridge. Swinging the door open, and nearly tearing it off its hinges, she shuffled through her boxes of cold pizza, jugs of water and occasional glass bottles (she hated the metallic taste that cans gave off) of soda until she reached her stash of pudding cups.

"Hm…Vanilla, chocolate or butterscotch?" She pondered as she grabbed a cup of each and observed them, "Which one would hit the spot right now?" Suddenly, a single cup at the very back of the fridge caught her eye, "Nope! I need me some _banana_ pudding right now," she chuckled and removed the cup of goldenrod deliciousness.

She heard a tap on the door just as she was grabbing a spoon from a drawer, "Jacki! Sweetie, is everything okay down there? Can I come in?" It was her father's wimpy little voice.

She sighed in exasperation, questioning to herself, as always, why her father was always such a baby, "Yes, Jeff. You may enter."

He slowly opened the door and peered through to see his daughter peeling the lid off of a pudding cup. Glancing around, he noticed that a shelf had been knocked to the floor and sighed as he closed the door behind him, "Now Jacki, you know you need to be careful when you throw things around like that, you know you could break something or get yourself hurt. And I would appreciate it if you not call me by my nickname like that. It's disrespectful."

The young teen rolled her eyes, "All right, _Father_. I apologize," she put a spoonful of pudding into her mouth and grinned tranquilly, "Aw yeah. That _definitely _hits the spot," she mumbled to herself with a satisfied nod.

Her father sighed, "I forgive you Sweetie. But really, what have you been doing down here that requires you to mutilate furnishings?"

"Well, if you must know," she took another mouthful of pudding, "I'm pratishing my shpells," her speech became slurred through the globs between her teeth.

"Of course you are," Jeff had never witnessed his daughter perform these 'spells' that she always spoke of, and he hardly believed they were real. Yet, she was a 16 year old girl, so he figured that she was just crying out for a way to show her individuality, "And please don't talk with your mouth full."

The moody teen grunted and swallowed her pudding, "Sorry, Father."

He smiled, trying his best to lighten her clearly irritated mood, "I forgive you. I'm going to go outside and water the garden. You're welcome to join me if you would like," he knew that she wouldn't, but he always offered to allow his daughter to spend time with him. He wanted her to know that he could always make time for her, especially if she was feeling down.

However, Jacki, as usual, took his offer the wrong way, "I know that I can join you, you always tell me that. And I always tell you the same answer; no thank you. I'm not an outside person and you know it."

"Yes. I know. The complete lack of color in your skin makes that perfectly clear. It makes me grateful that you're willing to drink milk fortified with vitamin D. I just want you to be comfortable talking to me or coming to me with your problems, that's all."

She swallowed her last gulp of pudding, crinkled the plastic cup in a fist and threw her spoon onto a nearby table in frustration, "Quit making fun of my pale skin! It looks good on me. Besides, the sun is trying to kill me."

Her father attempted to comment back, but she did not pause long enough to allow him the chance, "I don't want to talk to you. I don't have any 'problems' other than the fact that I can't get these stupid spells right. I don't need to talk to a loser like you," she crossed her arms defiantly.

Jeff became frustrated, but kept his emotions in control. He refused to lose control and make the same mistakes as his father before him, "Sweetie, please don't say things like that. You should never be hurtful when it's unnecessary."

Jacki was slightly taken aback by her father's sudden assertiveness and went into a fighting response, wanting to see just how far she could push his new attitude before he caved.

She pushed air through her teeth before shooting back, "And why should I listen to someone like you? You're just a man that acts like some kind of housewife. You do all of the easy things around the house while mom is out working her butt off to support us. She works every single day and you mooch off of her. I can't even see why she would marry you in the first place. You act like such a wimp all of the time."

Jeff pinched the bridge of his nose between his eyes, attempting to hold his composure. Hearing his daughter say those kinds of words hurt him more than anything he had heard in years. The trials of parenting had started to get to him, especially as Jacki had moved into a rebellious teenage phase. His wife constantly reminded him that he should not take it personally, but he could not help it. _I envy those who never decide to become parents. They don't have to deal with some of life's worst pains, nor feel many of its greatest joys._

He sighed and finally brought himself to respond to his daughter's argument, "Listen to me, Jacklyn. I won't change who I am just to please you. I tried that for many years with my own father, and it always caused me pain. I chose to live an honest life because I knew that it would be the best thing for the family that I wanted to build. Your mother does not hate her life, she enjoys it. I have always told her that I would help her earn money if she needed it, but she has always rejected my offer."

The young teen stomped up the stairs to confront her father on an equal level, "Maybe she's just too proud to ask for help. That shouldn't stop you from being a man and taking responsibility. You're smart, so why don't you get a job at a computer company or something?

"I'm so sick of how you're always trying to make us a 'normal' family too. We will never be normal. It would have been better if you had listened to Grandpa Jack and become an evil genius!"

The very mention of his father's name brought back horrible memories of the years of abuse that Jeff had suffered through at the hands of the man who was supposed to love him the most. Countless days of being screamed at, told he wasn't good enough and beaten (or at least threatened with such), and all without a single "I love you." He forced the burning lump in his throat to stay down and commanded his heart rate to slow.

"You do not know the kind of man that your grandfather truly was. He only treated you with love because he believed that he could raise you to be evil. I kept you away from him because I wanted you to have a good life, one that you would not come to regret later.

"Your grandfather drove himself to the point of insanity when he could have turned his life around for the better. That man didn't have a real job either you know. He spent years devising some foolish 'world domination' plan, even after all of his comrades abandoned him.

"Do you know where they went? They all moved away and are now living peaceful lives to make up for all of the despicable things that they did years ago. I am good friends with some of them to this day. Ashley is a fine example. She gave up her villainous ways and is happier than ever running a shelter for abandoned cats. Each of the former villains that I have spoken with regrets what they did during their days as evildoers."

Jeff turned and opened the door, "Just remember that your grandfather caused his own death. His madness was completely self-inflicted. He suffered for all of those years, and for what; a bunch of magical toys? He could have gone to any cheap magic store and gotten the same thing! Quit idolizing that man. He was nothing to be proud of. You need to realize that living a normal life is not wrong and that causing the suffering of others is.

"Like I said, you are welcome to join me outside," he finished his monologue by gently closing the door behind him and stepping lightly up the stairs.

Jacki stood for a moment, absorbing her father's entire outburst. But, she soon gave up trying to comprehend his logic and shrugged it aside, "What does he know? Grandpa Jack was a great visionary. Even if he didn't have a job or make money, he had plans to take over the whole world. That certainly proves he had no lack of ambition.

"I know how he felt. He dreamt of creating a world of order. All of the foolish people on this planet will never understand their faults unless they are ruled with an iron fist. I will make his world a reality, just you watch.

"A 'normal' life _is_ wrong. Letting the world go on destroying itself as it is now is the most useless thing anyone can do. I'd rather be evil and have a purpose in life than sit back and watch the world become its own hell. Besides, even if a 'normal' life doesn't seem wrong per se, it's certainly not as exciting as being evil!"

After finishing her soliloquy, she spun around and looked at her beautiful laboratory. Her grandfather had given her photos of his old laboratory when she was young, and she had kept them all her life. It was hardly over a week ago that she had finished modeling the basement of her own home into a near replica of the one she had seen in Jack's pictures.

It filled her with more pride than anything else she had accomplished in her life. Her exemplary academic performances meant little to her. Schoolwork came naturally to her, so she was glad to finally have a challenge which resulted in something she could be proud of.

Only one thing differentiated her laboratory from the one that her grandfather had used so many years ago. She had gotten a tire swing installed, just for fun.

She leapt onto her swing and swayed back and forth gleefully. Even an austere teenager such as herself could appreciate some simple fun sometimes. Looking up to the ceiling, she burst out laughing diabolically, "Just watch me Grandpa. I'll finally bring respect and dignity to the name of Jack Spicer, evil genius!"

She had only heard bits and pieces of her idol's story from her father, but Jacki admired the man all the same. Although constantly told that Jack had become a raving lunatic who refused to give up on stealing the Shen Gong Wu from the Xiaolin, she did not care. In fact, she could not blame him. The idea of possessing limitless power through seemingly simple objects fascinated her as well.

Fortunately, it had not driven her to madness as it had Jack.

After getting his hands on a Wu for the first time, the evil boy had felt an intriguing sense of power surging through his veins. Only when he held one did he feel complete and in control, both of which he considered too good to lose.

Once all of his Shen Gong Wu had been taken away from him, he was overwhelmed by the sense that he was hopeless and weak once again. He refused to go back to his cowardly ways and began to spend every day of his life trying to conjure up a plan to raid the Xiaolin Temple and retrieve as many of the Wu as possible. Yet, no matter how many times he tried, he was always utterly overpowered by the monks and sent back to the drawing board to come up with something new.

The loss of his treasured possessions was not the only stress that drove Jack to madness. Soon after the death of Raimundo and the loss of the Monkey Staff, his final Shen Gong Wu, Jack had been thrown out of his house by his mother. The woman had become sick of caring for a freeloading and disrespectful son. Most of all, she wanted him to give up on his 'plans for world domination' and live a normal life. When he refused to listen to her, she had forced him to pack all of his belongings and leave.

The move into a small, one bedroom apartment forced Jack to leave behind many of his supplies and larger robots. This left him with the plans to create powerful machines, but no materials to do so.

Life for Jack became hell on earth. He hardly bothered to clean his apartment, as he became too busy with his evil schemes. World conquest was far more important to him than a few layers of dust or cobwebs. Never once did it cross his mind to get a real job. Ruling the world would be a full time gig once he got there.

Unfortunately for Jack, he never quite 'got there.'

After a number of months, Jack's mother refused to loan him any more money to pay his rent. With no source of income, he feel into debt and his landlord evicted him, leaving him homeless on the street.

It was around this time that Jack met a young woman whom he had previously known from their years in school together. It turned out that she had always been curious of what had happened to him after she had stopped seeing him in school, and he was happy to tell her that he had been fighting to rule the world. The girl appeared to find his plans fascinating and agreed to help him in any way she could. Jack was thrilled at the prospect of taking in an underling, and gratefully accepted her assistance.

However, what he did not know was that the young woman was intensely addicted to drugs. Not only that, she sold her body to pay her rent and buy the substances which she abused nearly every day.

She did not tell him any of this, and he did not care to ask. What mattered to Jack was that she had a space for him to work in and enough money for the two to live together. The traces of white powder and razor blades littering her tiny mobile home completely escaped his attention.

The two developed a relationship built on lies and pitiful humor.

The young woman did not really care for Jack. She actually assumed that he used drugs too, based on what he talked about. It was only out of charity that she took him in to her home.

At the same time, Jack did not take her seriously and only used her resources to begin manufacturing robots once again. There was little communication between the two, which helped make it possible for them to live the way they did.

The couple had sex occasionally, although there was no love between them. The physical action was emotionally neutral on both parts and only served the purpose of releasing frustration and anxiety.

Even so, when the young woman became pregnant with his child, Jack seemed thrilled. He became overjoyed at the thought of having an evil legacy.

His lover was much less enthused with the idea of a child. Having a baby had not been in her plans and she feared the pain that it might cause her. This included not only the horrid suffering of delivery, but also the financial stress and months spent off work in recovery.

She contemplated an abortion, but did not want to disappoint Jack, who appeared surprisingly excited at the prospect of having a child. And so, she vowed to carry out her pregnancy.

To prevent the baby from being born addicted, the couple agreed that it was imperative that the expectant mother go into detox immediately. This was excruciating for the young woman. Her addiction had grown incredibly severe over many years. Every month of her maternity leave was spent with her wrists and ankles tied to her bedposts, screeching for Jack to give her "just one little hit." The man ignored her by turning up the volume on his headphones as he worked on his robots for hours at a time. He only visited her when it was necessary to feed her or give her a drink of water, both of which she constantly begged for (nearly as much as the drugs).

It was at this time that the young woman began to come out of her drug-induced hallucinations and back into reality. She came to realize that Jack was not really the fun and hilarious man she had pictured him to be. He was nothing more than a lunatic who was totally serious about taking over the world. There were many days that she cried out to him in an attempt to convince him that his ideas were foolish and that he should come to terms with reality, just as she was beginning to do. However, he simply drowned her out and never heard a word of her criticisms.

When the young mother began having contractions, Jack was so anxious to get her to the hospital that he took her in the fastest flying aircraft that he had built. She refused to ride in it at first, but realized that she had no when Jack revealed to her that he did not have a valid driver's license and could not risk getting caught driving her car. Frightened for her life, she climbed into the machine and they arrived at the hospital in time, miraculously without any casualties.

After the delivery, the couple took home a healthy baby boy, who weighed in at 7 lbs 7 oz. The mother showed the child almost no affection and chose to return to work full-time only five days after the delivery.

However, she decided to change her ways. She quit buying drugs and changed jobs to work as a bartender instead of at the strip-club where she had previously been employed. She also gave up her prostitution jobs on the side, knowing that her body would not sell as well after the stress of having a child.

After only a couple of months, she could no longer tolerate her life and told Jack to leave her. The man was flabbergasted and begged her not to kick him out, but she was adamant about her decision. She commanded him to pack all of his belongings, including the child, and forced him out her door. He was hurt by his partner's treatment initially, but did not care enough about her to take it personally. The two never met again.

During this time, Jack made a very lucky discovery. It turned out that his mother had never told him about the rather large inheritance that his father had left him upon passing.

One day, Jack had gone to visit his mother and show her his son, whom he had named Geoffrey (or Jeff, since it was so similar to his own name). During the visit, he was asked to set the table for dinner. While searching for silverware, he happened to notice a pile of letters in a kitchen drawer, all of which had been addressed to him. Each letter contained a substantial check, totaling enough to pay for years' worth of living expenses.

His mother had hidden this money from him to prevent his freeloading ways, but the fact that she had kept something secret when it was rightfully his had infuriated Jack (it made no sense to him as to why the inheritance was split into checks and mailed, but that hardly mattered). Without even glancing at the return addresses on the letters, the young man took all of the checks, along with his son, and disappeared without even saying goodbye. Jack's mother never saw her grandson again and died, tormented and depressed, only months later.

Things only continued downhill for Jack.

As Geoffrey began to grow into a young man, Jack knew that something was amiss. The boy had very little talent in the realms of evil and planning world conquest. In fact, he seemed to have interest in them at all! No matter what Jack taught him, Jeff would never follow any requests. He did succeed at building robots, but only created ones that were helpful for doing simple tasks or making an average person's life easier.

The evil genius became furious that his legacy was refusing his ways and going down a different path. Jeff was his son. Why wasn't the boy growing up to be the demonic mastermind that he had envisioned?

Jack began to loathe the child. The father constantly told young Jeff that he was "not good enough" to be the son of "such a genius," both vocally and in parental practice.

Jeff fully understood that he was hated. Yet, after spending years of his childhood trying to please his father, the young man no longer cared.

Jeff's behavior was not the only thing that put pressure on Jack's life. He also had daily struggles with his plans for world domination. Conquering the world was not an easy task, especially without any Shen Gong Wu to give him the ability to put up a decent fight against the Xiaolin. No matter how advanced his robots became, there was no denying that the monks were always the better fighters.

Thus, he realized very quickly that he needed the Wu. Any of them would do. The problem was that he did not know where to find them because the Xiaolin had sealed them away without a trace. Jack attempted to build detectors time and time again, but failed to receive a signal from any of them.

Sadly, he never knew when to quit and continued in his quest to make an effective radar until the day he died.

Before the time that his father passed, Jeff had already moved out and started a family of his own.

He had tried his best to allow his father to be involved in his daughter's life and hoped that the aging man would become sensible after becoming a grandparent. He had no such luck. Jack refused to give up on his mission for world domination.

The cantankerous older man had even tried to turn his granddaughter, Jacklyn (Jacki for short), into his new legacy, since her father had failed him. Jack sensed a spark in the young girl and began to tell her great Heylin stories from the time she was an infant.

At first, Jeff had assumed that they were harmless tales. However, once Jacklyn grew into a toddler, he realized that they were having a profound effect on her development. She would constantly act out and mumble very frightening things. There even came a time that she and Jack had bragged that she had magical Heylin abilities!

The young father was horrified at the thought of his daughter dabbling into the dark arts. He could not stomach the thought of his father turning the innocent little girl into an evil witch and refused to allow Jack to see her from that point forward.

Unfortunately for Jeff, Jack's influence had already left its mark on young Jacki. She was in love with her grandfather's amusing stories and quirky mannerisms. She also felt a sense of envy that he was able to defy her father and began to refuse punishment.

Her mother was assertive in trying to correct these misbehaviors. However, she worked full-time and did not see nor have the chance to alter the full extent of what occurred between the father and daughter.

Little Jacki had a fire inside of her that begged to be released. That flame burned with hatred for those around her and the way that they behaved.

It began at school. Nearly everyone mistreated her, as well as one another, on a daily basis.

She soon realized that it was not just school. Whenever she went into public, she was confronted with rude attitudes and mocking behaviors from both people that she knew and complete strangers.

The young girl began to develop her own meaning of the word 'evil.' In her mind, 'evil' became completely separate from the mindless, obnoxious cruelty that she constantly dealt with at the hands of ignorant citizens.

Surely this was what her grandfather had meant in saying that he wanted to control the world. He must have aspired to stop the foolish actions of common people and create an orderly environment. And what better way to ensure order in the world than by ruling it himself?

With these inaccurate assumptions in mind, Jacki decided to continue practicing her Heylin magic to carry on Jack's legacy even after his death, which had occurred shortly after their final visit.

Although she was aware of many of her grandfather's faults, Jacki idolized the image of him that she had created in her mind. Unfortunately, her picture was not entirely accurate.

She felt that Jack had been more than a madman out to gain power. She believed that his goals had a purpose. She wanted to think that he felt the same way as she; that he rejected society and was disgusted by citizens of the modern world. She assumed that he was an abused, tortured man and considered them kindred spirits amongst a horde of filth. In her mind, he must have been out to control the planet so that he could do away with all of the hurtful people in life and bring order to a world full of chaos.

Never one did it occur to her that he had simply been obsessed with power. In truth, Jack could not have cared less about improving the world. Sure, killing certain people and doing away with unsatisfactory governments may have improved some things, but those were not Jack's priorities. And there was no guarantee that he would make a decent ruler either. The corrupt deviant only wanted to obtain power and gain his own sense of self-worth.

Regardless of the fact that her grandfather's goals had not been at all pious, Jacki would never know the difference now that he was dead. A piece of her even held some suspicion that Jack had not been the secret hero that she envisioned him to be. Yet, it made her feel proud to have something to strive for. She would not give up on her goals, whether there was someone to back her up or not. She was old enough now to make her own decisions and this was how she wanted to live.

After preparing for years, Jacki finally felt that it was time to launch an attack that would reignite the war that had gone dull so many years ago. What better time to strike than while she was still frustrated with her father? Anger was the emotion that she found made her magic powers the most deadly and, at that moment, she was surging with it. To top it off, initiating the battle would allow her to test the strength of her foes and give her an overall advantage.

She grabbed a box that her grandfather had given her as a gift when she turned three years old (this had been the last birthday that he was able to celebrate with her). After opening it with caution and reverence, she pulled out a scroll and delicately unrolled it onto one of her work desks. The large piece of parchment revealed a comprehensive layout of the grounds of the Xiaolin Temple. Of course, it may have been old and slightly out of date. But, then again, how often do a bunch of old monks do any major renovations? She felt it safe to assume that the layout was still fairly accurate.

Looking over the scroll, Jacki realized that the temple had a surprisingly susceptible defense system and would take almost no effort to sneak through. This would hold especially true if the monks were not expecting an attack and had few guards on duty, which would most likely be the case on any given day. Grinning fiendishly, Jacki began to trace her fingers along a few routes, imagining that her grandfather had taken the same ones during his raids all those years ago, "This is going to be a cinch. I'll do you proud, Grandpa Jack. It's time to teach these Xiaolin Losers what they're up against. They will regret having insulted the Spicer family. Oh, how they'll regret it. All in due time," she let out the evil laugh that her grandfather had honed in her as a child. The basement rang with her cackles and, at that moment, the world witnessed the end of its peaceful era.

Raymundo scrubbed his teeth vigorously, gargled and spit into the sink. He loved the feel of having clean teeth before bed. It was also vastly better than the stench of morning breath.

It always puzzled him as to why an ancient Xiaolin temple would have full working sinks and plumbing. But, he shrugged and figured that it was better not to question a good thing.

His slippers shuffled softly across the wooden floor as he headed for his room, being careful not to cause too much noise and disturb any of the other monks. Everyone else inside the temple had already gone to bed. Ray had stayed up late practicing the Flying Leopard Attack that Omi had taught him earlier that day.

Lying down on his mat, Ray curled up with his teddy bear and heaved a massive sigh, glad to finally rest his aching body. He tossed back and forth for a moment, searching for a good position to sleep in. The mats that they slept on were not well padded, but he had become accustomed to it, and was usually so tired that it did not bother him.

Unfortunately, the moment he found a comfortable spot, the young monk felt an intense cold sensation rush up his spine and send a tremor through his whole body.

_What's going on? Something doesn't feel right…_Ray bolted up from his mat and dashed out of the room.

He headed outside, trusting that his tiger instincts were keen enough to find something strange and not send him false alarms. At first, he feared that the latter had been reality, as he did not see anything inadvertently interesting on the temple grounds.

Yet, the young man's disappointment was soon overshadowed by fear as he saw an oddly colored gas flowing through the air. It was dark and of an odd purplish-black shade that somehow stood out against the darkness of the night. Having no idea what it could be, he began to follow the trail and hoped that it would lead him to the source.

Unfortunately, he did not find anything when he reached the end. Then, he noticed that the gas was expanding in the same direction that he had walked and turned around to follow it the other way, grateful that no one had noticed his blunder.

By the time he made it to the opposite end of the trail, Ray's body felt heavy, sluggish and weak. With every step he felt as if cinderblocks were chained to his ankles and he could barely keep his head from bobbing forward.

He forced his body to look alive when he found the source of the dark smoke; a young woman who was dressed in a black cloak. At first glance, Ray could not see much of her through the mist, only that she had long hair, was wearing some sort of mask and appeared to be reading a book as she waved her right arm in a rhythmic fashion.

"Hey! Who are you? What are you doing here? Are you the one who is creating this fog?" He hollered to catch her attention.

When Jacki turned around to discover the source of the voice that had called out to her, she saw a young man who looked no older than she, and perhaps a couple of years younger. His dark brown hair flared outward all around his head and spiked at the ends. A pair of robe-looking pajamas draped over his lean and fit body, clinging to his most muscular areas. His dark green eyes portrayed a youthful atmosphere that radiated a sense of confidence and hope, as well as an apparent lack of maturity and experience. Yet, his boyish appearance was not unattractive. He was, in all honesty, quite handsome. Even the pale yellow tint of his skin showed a diversity which would have been rather intriguing to anyone who cared.

But Jacki paid little mind to his appearance.

Instead, she chuckled, deciding to humor him by answering his questions verbatim, "I am Jacklyn Spicer (Jacki for short), a powerful Heylin witch and heir to the evil legacy left behind by my brilliant grandfather, Jack Spicer. I am here to test the might of the Xiaolin warriors. And yes, I am the one who is creating this evil cloud. It is one of my favorite spells. This haze drains power from all those who inhale it, hence why I am wearing a gas mask," she stopped waving her arms and the smoke began to clear.

As the mist faded, the young woman removed her mask and revealed the most beautiful face that Ray had ever seen. The smooth, pale skin of her face shimmered under the moonlight. Her hair was colored a very light red that looked almost pink in the twilight, and her eyes blazed with a deep crimson that nearly imitated brown. The slight curves of her extremely slender body looked appealingly soft and gave off a dark sexiness. Her clothes fit her body well and her face was dressed lightly with makeup. Both of these accentuated every one of her attractive features.

This was Ray's first look at a real female human. He was stunned.

Her voice sounded mesmerizing, "Well, I've told you who I am. Why don't you return the favor?"

At first, Ray was so hypnotized that he could hardly speak, "Um, I am Ray, I-I mean," he shook it off and regained his confidence, intent on not seeming rude, "My name is Fong Zhe Raymundo, Xiaolin dragon in training. I am pleased to meet your acquaintance," he gave a respectful bow.

Jacki gave out a haunting giggle that nearly made Ray's heart melt, "The pleasure's all mine. Say, do all of the Xiaolin warriors sleep with teddy bears?"

Ray swung back up from his bow and noticed for the first time that he had not let go of his teddy bear since leaving his mat. His face turned beet red at her mocking and he hugged the bear tighter, "Hey, lots of guys sleep with teddy bears, all right?"

She was proud to have embarrassed him so easily, "Wow, if you let that get under your skin then I'm going to have some fun harassing you."

Ray was puzzled as he had never heard such talk before. _How would she get something under my skin? I don't have any cuts from that mist or anything, do I? _He quickly looked over his body, but saw nothing and decided to ignore what she had said.

"A-anyway, I do not mean to be rude, but I must ask you to leave. Outsiders are not allowed on the temple grounds without permission, especially this late at night."

"Is that so? Well, then," Jacki sauntered up to Ray, placed her hands on her hips defiantly and leaned in to stare her opponent directly in the eyes, "What if I refuse?"

The fresh, lavender scent of the young woman's skin knocked Ray's mind into a tizzy and he had to force himself to regain focus.

"I-if you do not leave, then I will have to force you to do so," he backed a few steps away from her and assumed a crouching fighter's stance.

Jacki sighed and shrugged her shoulders, "That's all very intimidating, but I'm not really in the mood to fight right now. Honestly, I intended to launch an attack tonight, but this is kind of boring. I think I'll just go for a walk and look around your temple; do some reconnaissance. Besides, I can tell you don't have the balls to make me leave," she shot him a sadistic grin.

Ray did not know exactly what she meant by saying that he didn't have balls, but he figured it was safe to assume that this was some kind of insult. He knew that it was impolite to hit a girl, but he had no choice. The safety of the temple was more important than a pretty face, even if it was _very _pretty.

"All right, you asked for it! Flying Leopard Attack!" He leapt into the air and began to spin, but got tangled in a cluster of tree branches that had been above his head. He struggled to get free and finish his assault, but only succeeded in landing in a heap on the ground in front of Jacki's feet.

_What in the world is wrong with this kid?_ She chuckled at the sight of a Xiaolin warrior falling flat on his face in his pajamas, clutching a teddy bear all the while, "Well, that was one heck of a performance! I mean really, you're not even worth messing with.

"I guess I've seen enough for tonight. Still, we should do this again sometime. Invite your friends next time so that I can get an actual challenge, will you?" She whipped her arm up into the air and disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

Ray crawled to his feet and massaged his chin, which had hit the ground especially hard. He brushed the dirt off of his pajamas and glanced down at his teddy bear's chubby face.

_I wonder what that was all about. That young woman was awfully rude. _

_But, she was _so_ pretty. I kind of want to see her again. But, at the same time, I do not. I mean, if she plans going to invade the temple like that again, then I hope she stays away._ He pondered for a moment, still staring at his bear.

Suddenly, an idea struck him, which he accredited to his stuffed comrade._ What a great idea Teddy! The next time I see her, I will convince her to come to our side! Then we can be friends…or maybe even more._ He smiled sheepishly at the thought and cuddled his bear closer. _You are the best Teddy. Thank you for the idea. This is going to be great!_

The next day, Ray walked across the temple grounds with a confident strut, grinning from ear to ear. He had gone back to bed after his encounter with Jacki and his dreams had been filled with beautiful images of her charming face.

The very thought of her next visit filled him with an anxiety stronger than any he had felt before. _This must be what 'love' feels like._ He put his hands to his heart and his smile grew wider.

"Looks like somebody had a good night's sleep."

Ray jolted back to consciousness at the sound of a voice approaching. He glanced back and forth, but saw no one.

He knew he was in trouble. Only one resident at the temple could be heard without being visible at his eye level. His gaze shifted downward and confirmed his suspicion of the source of the voice; Dojo.

The little's dragon's curious nature was insatiable, "So, why the happy face? Did somebody have a nice dream?" He asked, swinging his tone suggestively.

"Yes," the young monk gave no details, determined to keep his secret.

"Well," Dojo prompted, hopping up onto Ray's shoulder, "What was it about? C'mon, you can tell me!" He pocked the young man's face with his pointy finger.

Ray turned his head away, ignoring the dragon's prodding, "No, that is all right. I would rather keep this to myself. Besides, you would not understand what my dream was about, even if I told you."

The vague mysteriousness of his response merely served to pique the dragon's interest all the more, "Oh really? Well, if that's the case, then you should have no problem telling me, since I won't get it anyway. Please, just tell me what it was about. You can trust old Dojo to keep a secret."

Ray forced air through his lips, "Psht. Yeah, sure I can," he knew as well as anyone that the little dragon was quite a blabbermouth.

"No really!" Dojo grabbed Ray's shoulders, begging and shaking him, "Just tell me, please! I can't take the suspense. I just gotta know. I promise I won't tell a soul."

"Really?" Ray glanced back to see the dragon nod his head vigorously.

"Well…I guess I can tell you. Just do _not_ let Uncle Omi find out! He would be furious to discover that I had kept a secret like this from him."

"You can count on me," Dojo straightened up and saluted, "I would run straight into a burning building before giving away your secret."

Ray felt convinced and figured it was okay to tell his friend. After all, the young man wanted nothing more than to share his excitement, "Well, you see…Last night, I met this girl…"

After the young monk had finished his story, Dojo was simultaneously shocked, confused and excited.

Ray's description of the young girl he had met was certainly a mosaic of personas. On one hand, he claimed that she was beautiful and charming. While, on the other hand, he said that she was a Heylin witch with aspirations of evil.

The dragon took a moment to analyze all of the information and came to the conclusion that this young woman could not be trusted. She was Jack Spicer's granddaughter, after all.

"What're you thinking Ray? Do you realize how dangerous this girl must be? She's the descendent of a madman! You know how evil Jack Spicer was; he killed your grandpa!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Dojo wished he could take them back. He watched the young man's gaze fall and shift to the side._ Oh, geez. Maybe that was a little much. _He thought to himself as he placed a scaly hand comfortingly on his friend's cheek.

Ray shook off Dojo's hand with a twist of his head, "But what if she is not really evil? What if she is just being manipulated into being a witch? Maybe she would change sides if we convinced her. I could sense something in her spirit. I think my tiger instincts were telling me not to give up on her immediately just because of her birthright.

"Besides that, Uncle Omi has told me all about my grandfather. He went through a time where he fought for the Heylin side too! I bet if we just give Jacki a chance, then she will abandon her evil ways and come to the side of good," his eyes shimmered with hope and innocence.

No matter how hard he tried, Ray was unable to convince Dojo that the young woman could be trusted. The little dragon had witnessed the evils of Heylin warriors too many times to believe that this one could be any different.

The fact that she was a witch made it all the worse. There were very few people that Dojo had truly hated in his lifetime, but one of them was a Heylin witch. In fact, it was the most famed one in history; Wuya.

He did not know if she was still alive, but he hoped not. He had hated her guts, her physical appearance, her dark magic and everything else that he could remember about her. Just the thought of her obnoxious, snotty voice was enough to make his flesh crawl.

Still, the little dragon did not want to crush his friend's feelings, so he decided not to be too harsh, "Ok kid, I guess I'll let you give it a shot. But if she resists too strongly, you'll have to give up on her, got it?" He waved an index finger in Ray's face to emphasize his point.

The young monk sighed and rolled his eyes, knowing that his stubborn friend was not convinced, "Fine, I will," he did not feel like arguing with a thick-skinned dragon when he was in such a good mood.

Dojo, once again, was not convinced by the boy's words, but decided it best not to get into a fight at such an early hour. He leaped down from Ray's shoulder and began to slither away.

However, before the little dragon got too far, Ray shouted out to him, "Just remember not to tell anyone, _especially _Uncle Omi!"

"I got it, I got it," Dojo waved his hand dismissively as he rounded a corner and disappeared from sight.

The following week proceeded just as any other would have. The monks trained and studied for hours on end, stopping only to do their daily chores. Most of the chores were left to Raymundo, as he was the youngest student and needed to continue his lessons in diligence more than anyone else.

Of course, Ray felt that if was unfair that he was the only one designated to do laundry, wash dishes and keep the temple structures clean. But, what could he do? He just reminded himself that one day he would not have to do all the chores and that he could command other students to do them instead. Ironically enough, his chores were teaching him the opposite of what they were intended to. Instead of becoming a hard worker, Ray began to relish the thought of slacking off in the future.

One day, around the time that Ray had finished washing the statues outside the grand hall of the temple, a bell sounded to call everyone in for dinner.

The monks all ate at the same time, but generally did not eat together in one room. No one ever felt like setting up dining areas in the grand hall (which was the only indoor area large enough to fit everyone), except for special occasions. If the weather permitted they would sometimes gather outside to eat together. But, for the most part, everyone split into groups with the people closest to them and went to their own spaces for meals.

It was because of this that Omi, Dojo and Raymundo always had time to converse independently over meals. Omi and Dojo had one of the longest friendships at the temple and had always been in charge of caring for Ray, so it made sense for the three to sit together. It wasn't that they didn't get along with other monks. They just enjoyed time spent together in their own little family-like unit.

"So, how was your day Uncle Omi? Did you have a good time studying the ancient scrolls?" Even though Ray sounded sincere, all three of them took his question as a bit of a joke. They all knew that studying scrolls was not entirely what one could consider 'fun.' But, they knew that it had to be done and worded their conversation as if it was enjoyable.

"I certainly did, Raymundo. Thank you for asking. Although, I think I had quite a bit more fun during our short soccer break, even though you got just a few more goals than me," the master winked and his student began to laugh.

""Just a few more?" I got _twice_ the number of goals you did!"

Omi put on a stern face for a moment, but soon joined in with his disciple's laughter.

The two of them always took a break during each working day to play soccer as a way of relieving stress and having some real fun. Omi was not overjoyed that Raymundo was a prodigy and always kicked his butt when it came to the sport. But, he knew that it made his student happy and was glad that the boy had something that could bring him closer to his grandfather, as Raimundo had loved soccer as well.

Dojo kept silent through the whole conversation and once Omi took notice of this he realized that something must be wrong, "Dojo, what is the matter? Is something on your mind?" He turned to his friend and asked inquisitively.

The reason behind the dragon's silence was that he had been completely focused on his earlier confrontation with Ray and had ignored the entire exchange. However, hearing Omi call his name snapped him back to reality and he sat up straighter when he answered, "What? Oh, no, it's nothing. Don't worry about me. Just thinking about stuff."

Omi tilted his head, puzzled by his friend's vague comment, "Thinking about what? You are not usually one to get lost in thought."

Dojo's eyes drifted to the side and Ray entered his field of vision. The boy was waving his hands back and forth as well as slicing his hand across his neck, signaling the dragon not to tell his secret. Suppressing the urge to chuckle at the young monk's reaction, Dojo decided to remain loyal, but also to have some fun, "Just thinking about this story that somebody told me the other day."

"Oh?" Omi's eyes grew wider, showing his attentiveness and intrigue. Ray, on the other hand, thrashed his arms even faster, deathly afraid that Dojo was about to spill the beans. However, he was forced to stop and grin nonchalantly when Omi glanced his way.

The dragon felt devilish and happy to give the young monk a lesson, "Yeah. This one guy told me about some girl that he met once. He's still utterly infatuated with her, even though she's leaning toward the Heylin side. It made me kind of worried, but I'm sure it's nothing too serious. Everybody around here goes a little crazy when they see a girl for the first time. Some monks can even get a little giddy if they've seen one before and it's just been a few years. Right, Omi?"

Omi's cheeks went red as he remembered all of the awkward moments that he had gone through raising Abidemi. Of course, there had been little issue when she was young. However, when her body matured, Omi would sometimes find himself behaving rather strangely. There were moments where he would blush and shift his gaze to places it should not have been. The fact that Kimiko was the only other girl he had seen in his life made him confused and unable to control his reactions.

_Curse my dishonorable male instincts._ He thought to himself as he smiled inconspicuously, "I suppose so, Dojo," he let out an uncomfortable little chuckle.

Dojo's vagueness and manipulation of words took Omi's mind off the subject completely, giving Ray great relief. _That stinking dragon! He's going to get it later!_ The young monk gave his friend an angry glare and shook his fist.

The little dragon grinned and glanced the other way, giving Ray an 'I don't know what you mean' look.

After dinner, the group dispersed and Ray prepared to take his revenge on Dojo. As Omi walked out of the room, the young monk grabbed Dojo by the neck, preventing the little lizard from escaping. He aimed an index finger at the scaly face before him and readied himself to speak, but was interrupted by a thunderous alarm gong being struck.

Dojo wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, relieved that he was not going to get a lecture. However, the little dragon realized immediately afterwards that they had greater things to worry about.

Each gong in the temple gave off a unique noise. This one alerted the monks that there was something, or someone, attacking the temple.

The moment he heard the warning gong, Ray suspected that the assailant was the exact person he had hoped to meet. He dropped his friend and dashed outside.

Dojo followed close behind the young monk. The little dragon also figured that their enemy was Jacki and hoped to find a way to isolate the two of them, allowing Ray some time to talk to her about his idea.

The Xiaolin duo arrived on the temple lawn to see a massive tower burning in the sunset. It was likely that the smoke had been what alerted the monk who sounded the alarm. There was now a large crowd gathered around the enflamed structure, attempting to extinguish the inferno.

Omi arrived to lead the group, utilizing his power over water to take advantage of a nearby pond and extinguish the flames. As soon as the tower stopped burning, the crowd dispersed and headed off in all directions to find the intruder.

Ray prayed that he would be the first to find her and dashed off. He had faith that his instincts would guide him to the one he sought.

They did not mislead him. He found Jacki in the first place that he went to check; the former Shen Gong Wu vault. She sat tranquilly on the floor with legs crossed and hands planted firmly on the ground.

"Um, Jacki? It's me, Raymundo. Can we talk for a minute?" He approached her slowly, afraid that she may not have a docile reaction to his presence.

Outside, Dojo saw that Ray was not leaving the building he had entered and assumed that the boy had found Jacki within. The dragon decided to take on the responsibility of protecting the two youngsters. He slithered back and forth defensively, making sure that no one was trying to enter.

Omi's instincts led him to the same building that Dojo was protecting and he was puzzled when he saw the little dragon pacing around the threshold, "Dojo? I am sensing a disturbance in the vault. Let me in! The intruder may be inside there!" He dashed up to the entrance but was stopped by his friend leaping in front of him.

"No, no, no! There's nothing in there that you need to worry about! I already checked. This place is fine. You can go search the other buildings."

Dojo was careful in choosing his words. He did not want to break his promise to Ray, but he hated the thought of lying to Omi. By using vague phrasing, he found ways to appease the elder without falsifying the truth, nor revealing any secrets.

The head monk was not completely satisfied with the dragon's responses, but chose to trust his friend, "All right, just make sure to tell me if you see anything suspicious," he conceded and ran off in another direction.

Dojo heaved a sigh of relief. _Thank goodness. All right Ray, I bought you some time. Don't waste it._ He turned, as if to speak to his friend aloud, before returning to his post.

Within the temple, Jacki acknowledged Ray's presence, smiled and stood to greet him, "Hello there, Ray. How are you on this fine evening?" She put on an evil grin and raised her left hand. The young man watched in awe as a ball of green flame appeared out of nowhere and hovered above her open palm.

"Wow! What is that? How are you doing that?" He asked in awe.

She chuckled softly, finding his reaction absolutely adorable, "You're quite easy to impress, huh?" She began to juggle the ball of flame between both hands and giggled as Ray's eyes followed the little green fireball intently, "It's a new spell that I've perfected since our last visit.

"You see, my friend, spending that quality time with you at this temple last week got me thinking. How could I become a more powerful enemy for you guys? And then it hit me. You all study your ancestors a lot, so maybe I should do the same. I did some research on the techniques that past witches used against the Xiaolin and learned a number of awesome (yet surprisingly easy) new spells and techniques. I'm not going to waste time with wimpy little energy-sapping spells anymore. I can hurt people directly!" A flick of her finger transformed the small inferno into a flaming whip, which she used to slash Raymundo's face, giving him a thin burn across his right cheek.

"Ow!" Ray cried out in pain and grasped his face with his palm, "What was that for?"

Jacki gave out a short chuckle, "For fun."

Ray cringed, but refused to be discouraged. He knew that there must be some way to make her change sides. He had always been told that there was good inside of every person. He had to find hers.

"Listen Jacki, have you ever taken a deeper thought into why you want to be on the Heylin side in the first place? Have you ever considered fighting for the side of good instead?

"We would accept you here. We would care for you. You can relinquish your evil ways and become part of our family. Trust me, we Xiaolin are filled with love and understanding. I really think you would feel better joining us."

Taking a step closer, Ray extended his right hand, while still rubbing his scorched cheek with the other, "Please join us."

Jacki stood staring at the young man, now a bit flabbergasted herself. _Did he really just…What is he thinking? Why would he invite me to their side?_ Dozens of questions ran through her head, few of which she could answer.

However, there was one that she could.

She tossed her whip aside, ran up to Raymundo and slapped him across the face, "No. I am evil. My grandfather is my idol, and I will bring his vision to life. I will bring order to this chaotic world. I won't let anyone stand in the way of my goal. And trust me, you'll be thanking me in the end."

Raymundo put both hands to his cheeks, as either one was injured now. He looked up into Jacki's face, his eyes full of disappointment.

When Jacki met his gaze, her head became clouded. His eyes were like little gems; beautiful, precious and shimmering with tears. Her chest began to feel tight and she could not think straight. The look on his face was mesmerizing her somehow. The two looked into each other's eyes for what seemed like hours, their hearts racing all the while.

But soon, the smell of smoke brought Jacki back to reality. She scrambled for ideas on what to do next.

She realized two things. First and foremost, that she needed to escape before the building burned down. And secondly, that Ray liked her, a lot.

Without warning, Jacki grabbed Ray by his collar and slammed their lips together. She figured that it would be fun to mess with his head and that he would get distracted, giving her time to escape.

What she did not expect was to enjoy it.

She quickly released from their kiss and stared into his eyes for another moment before realizing that this had been a horrible idea. Kissing boys always made her a little giddy, and Ray _was_ rather cute.

Still, she snapped herself out of it, tossed the young monk to the ground and dashed off, leaving Ray in the burning building alone.

The young woman was able to sneak past the dragon guarding the vault and set fire to a few more buildings on her way out of the temple.

_I have to get out of here. I need to formulate a new plan…_

Meanwhile, back in the vault, Ray sat on the floor in a trance. _Sh-she just…wow…my first kiss. That was _amazing_… _He could not even focus enough to notice that the flaming weapon which Jacki had dropped was spreading quickly across the wooden floor of the building.

Suddenly, Dojo, who had smelled the smoke coming from inside the building, rushed in to save Ray. He could not believe his eyes when he saw the monk sitting, motionless, on the floor with a wall of flame growing right before their eyes.

The dragon slithered over to Ray and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him vigorously. Dojo could get no reaction out of him, but this was not terribly surprising. There was a good chance that the monk was under some sort of Heylin paralysis spell.

Dojo realized that expanding in size would prevent them from fitting through the vault's doors. Therefore, the little dragon grabbed Ray by the back of his collar and dragged him out of the building, with great effort on account of their size difference.

As the two slowly came out of the vault, some ceiling supports fell to the floor and the fire spread wildly behind them. Thankfully, Dojo was able to get their bodies out of harm's way before the building began to collapse completely.

Omi came rushing back to the vault after having saved a few other buildings. He used some fresh water from a nearby pond and doused the whole building at once in an attempt to save what was left of the structure.

However, Dojo and Ray had not gotten far from the building before Omi drenched it, and were soaked by the waterfall. The water felt freezing cold from being out in the brisk night air and snapped Ray out of his love-induced trance.

He shook the water from his hair and scrambled to his feet, "Dojo? Wh-what happened?"

The dragon wiped his head and body with his hands to remove most of the excess water. Still dripping, he looked Ray directly in the eyes and retaliated, "Your _girlfriend_ just burned down half our temple and tried to kill you."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - The Witch

_But, how? How could this happen? Why would she do all of this?_ Ray's head swarmed with questions. His heart cinched in his chest and made it hard to breathe.

"I-I do not understand. She just said, "No." And then she mentioned something about bringing order to a chaotic world. Does that mean she is really good? Or does it mean…" The young monk put his face in his hands and fell to his knees before finishing his sentence.

Omi rushed up to his young disciple and knelt down, "Raymundo! What is wrong? Are you all right?" He received no response and his head jolted up to look at Dojo, "Dojo! What happened to Raymundo? Was he injured?"

The little dragon's mind scrambled for a way to respond, "Y-yeah! I'm pretty sure he's under some kind of spell! He needs to rest. Let's take him to his room and let him lay down."

Omi carefully lifted the motionless boy and carried him to his room.

Laying Ray down on his mat, the master noticed a red line on one side of his face.

_What could that be? It looks like a burn. _Omi put his hand on Ray's face and the boy flinched, but still did not speak.

Dojo slithered up to the two monks and peered over the young student's face, his attention also being drawn to the wound. _Oh man, Ray. What did that girl do to you?_

"Don't worry about Ray, Omi. I'll watch over him. You go take care of the rest of the temple," the dragon waved his hand to dismiss the elder monk.

Omi nodded and rose to his feet, "All right Dojo. I will make certain that this villain is not still at large," he ran off, leaving the other two alone.

Ray lay motionless on his mat. He was fully aware of the world around him, but ignored it to focus on the questions pounding in his head. He could not comprehend why Jacki would deny his request, kiss him and then run away.

_Maybe she is being forced to do evil and she really wants to change sides! Or maybe she likes me too and I can convince her to be good if I just talk to her more!_

He refused to give up hope on the young girl. He believed that she had a strong sense of justice, especially after what she had told him about bringing order to the world. Ray did not agree with her idea that the world needed to be drastically altered. However, he assumed that her energy could be redirected from trying to take over the world to helping protect it.

_There is no way that she can be completely evil. Such an amazing and beautiful woman cannot be all bad. _He attempted to rationalize his infatuation.

While Ray was tossing ideas around his head, Dojo was trying to snap him back into reality. The dragon took the young monk by his collar and shook him violently, "Ray! Snap out of it, kid!"

A sharp pain in his neck finally dragged Ray back to the real world, "Ok, ok! Dojo, please stop! I'm all right now!"

The dragon stopped shaking Ray and let go of his shirt. Leaping off of his lap, Dojo turned back and inquired, "What did she do to you, Ray? What's with that mark on your face?"

Ray remembered the burn on his cheek and rubbed it gently with one finger, sending a sting to the area. The burn was still fresh and felt moist, as if it had gone a few layers deep into his skin. He hoped that it would not scar and got up to grab something to treat it with, "Come with me Dojo, I'll tell you everything."

As the two walked through the hallway, Ray explained the situation to his friend. He revealed everything that Jacki had said, and all that she had done. Ray hoped that, since Dojo was older and wiser than he, that the little dragon might have some insight as to what her reaction had meant.

Unfortunately, Dojo was clueless as to why she had behaved in such a manner. As old as he was, the female mind was something that he still could not comprehend in the slightest. His only idea was that the witch was toying with Raymundo, perhaps even trying to manipulate and use the boy to her advantage.

The pair soon arrived in the kitchen. Ray took a dish rag from the under sink, dampened it with cold water and held it to his injured cheek. He winced, but, after the short second of pain, the coolness of the towel began to sooth his wound. He was glad that the red mark from the slap on his other cheek had faded and hoped that his burn would heal quickly as well.

"Well Ray, I'm not sure what to tell you," Dojo hopped up onto his friend's shoulder, "I think she was just messing with you. Girls will do that a lot. You should just forget about it."

Ray's heart pounded in his chest as his mind drifted back to thinking about Jacki, "But how can I? You did not see her Dojo. She is just so beautiful and graceful. How can someone so amazing be evil?"

He began to dance an airheaded jig, "And she kissed me! She must love me too. I know I can bring her to our side. And then we can be a couple and fight for justice together!" He ended his dance in a dramatic stance, holding his fist in the air as if he were some kind of superhero.

Dojo sighed and slapped his face with his scaly palm._ Oh, this kid. He's got a lot to learn._

He searched his mind for a gentle way to convince Ray that his plan was probably hopeless, "You know something, Ray? I really don't think this girl will ever turn to our side. She sounds like some kind of Templar if you ask me."

Ray came out of his majestic pose and stared at Dojo with confusion drawn across his face, "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Dojo scratched his head, "Oh yeah. You haven't learned much about European history yet. Sorry, I forgot.

"Well, I won't confuse you with a random lesson right now. But, basically what I'm saying is that your plan might not work. I mean, I'm not saying that she's completely evil. It's great that she has a sense of order and everything, but that doesn't mean that she can be a heroine. It could mean that she'll never join us because she wants to forcibly change-"

The dragon was cut off by Ray shoving him, quite forcefully, to the floor, "You're wrong! She is good, I know it! She has to be! You don't know anything! She will join us someday! Just you wait and see!" The boy screamed, heartbroken by Dojo's words.

Ray was in complete denial that the woman he felt such a strong attraction to could be entirely evil. His stubborn male mind could not grasp that he was wrong about Jacki and he did not want to admit that the truth was anything other than what he wanted to believe. _Dojo is wrong! Jacki has to have a good side. I will change her. I bet if I just went to her house and talked to her…_

His eyes shot open as wide as a pair of ping pong balls and he grinned impishly as a new plan began to form in his mind. He dashed off, confident that his new strategy was certain to work.

Meanwhile, Dojo rubbed his tail, which was rather sore from being hitting the hard, wooden floor when he fell.

Noticing that Ray had run off at top speed with a conspicuously cheeky grin, he sighed and shook his head._ What is that crazy kid thinking now? He's going to get hurt. I can't let him put himself in danger._

The little dragon lifted himself up and slithered off, his mind scrambling for a plan to help his friend.

Ray spent the rest of the day dashing around to some surrounding towns, asking if anyone had seen or heard of Jacki. He was lucky to find a group of villagers nearby that had seen her approaching the temple and they were able to give him directions as to where she had come from. The hopeless romantic convinced himself that fate would bring them together and immediately began planning a trip to visit her.

As he gathered food and supplies for his journey, he was completely unaware that Dojo had watched him the whole time that he had visited their neighbors. The little dragon understood what Ray was planning and knew that it could only end in disaster.

Ray's hasty actions made him unaware of one fact which had not escaped the rest of the Xiaolin. This was that Jacki had caused the deaths of a few monks from the temple.

A group had been meditating in the first building that she set fire to and had not come out of their trance in time to escape. They were crushed by collapsing supports and she had been aware of this. The monks also inferred that she knew, since there was little chance that she had not seen the victims. The group had been in the back of the building, which was the first to collapse. This meant that the source of the flames had to have been from that location. The monks learned this from studying the remains of the building.

Because Raymundo had run off immediately after the assault, he had not gotten a chance to hear the news.

However, Dojo had.

Thus, the little dragon knew that he had to keep track of Ray to ensure the boy's safety. They were dealing with a murderer. Not the sweet, kind woman that the love-struck youth had created an image of.

Dojo decided to spy on Ray and follow him wherever he went for the next few days, as it was clear that he had big plans since he was gathering supplies and told no one why.

It took Ray until the next evening to prepare himself for his journey.

He spent all day avoiding everyone else at the temple to keep from arousing too much suspicion. He made sure to leave before dinner, knowing that everyone would have tried to stick their faces into his business if he did not escape. The evening meal made people extra social.

As he crept away, the young monk felt an odd twisting in his gut and feared that he was being followed. Still, he passed it off as nervousness. He was certain that no one knew of his plans, and could not see anyone following him.

Dojo had easily escaped his sight.

The journey to Jacki's house was a rather long one and Ray began to doubt that the note which he had left in excuse for his absence would sustain his cover for a long enough time. Nevertheless, he assumed that no one would have a clue as to where he was, so he did not worry about it.

After about three days of travel, he finally arrived at the house which sources had told him was where Jacki lived.

He was grateful to all of the people that had helped him find her and silently thanked them as he approached the door.

The residence looked no different from any other on the block. The house's white walls, yellow roof and three windows on front mirrored those of the surrounding homes.

This way of life was not completely new to Ray. Omi and Dojo had not wanted him to grow up in total isolation like many monks before him, and had flown him around to see towns and cities before. It was during these trips that the two had explained to him that his way of life was very unique compared to the vast majority of people.

Because he had this understanding, Ray was not overwhelmed by his adventure.

He also thought it safe to assume that, because Jacki's house looked so much like any other, she could not be as evil as she made herself out to be. _If an evil Heylin witch could grow up in this kind of environment, then there would certainly be a lot more of them, since this kind of life is so common._ He rationalized as he knocked on the door gently.

Jeff heard the knocking and was quite surprised to have a visitor. His wife had warned him that she would be working late tonight, so he knew it could not be her.

He put down the bowl of pancake batter that he had been mixing and hurried to the door without bothering to take off his dirty apron.

"Yes? Who is it?" He asked as he opened the door carefully, not knowing what to expect.

The man had no reason to worry, as he was greeted by a kind-looking young man dressed in a monk's garments.

"Hello, Sir. My name is Fong Zhe Raymundo," the boy bowed deeply out of respect, "Is Jacklyn home?"

Jeff smiled at the thought of his daughter having a friend as humble as this young man.

He was slightly worried that this visitor may be more than just Jacki's friend, as nearly any father of a teenage girl would be. But, he decided not to assume anything indefinite and responded politely, "Yes, she is. She's downstairs in the basement working on something right now."

Ray lifted out of his bow, "May I please speak with her about something? Do you think she would be upset if I distracted her?" He hoped that she was not too busy to talk.

Jeff waved his hand to dismiss the young man's worries, "Oh, not at all. She's always working on something or another down there, so I'm sure you wouldn't be a bother at all.

"But, would you like to stay for dinner? I was just preparing some pancakes. Fridays are breakfast-for-dinner nights in our house. Jacki's mother won't be home in time for the meal, so we will have an extra serving."

"Really? That would be wonderful. I would love to stay. Thank you very much," Ray was happy to accept the offer, as his supplies were slightly low from the long journey. Besides that, he would get to have dinner with the girl of his dreams! How could he turn down an offer like that? He bowed very deeply once again.

"You don't need to bow, young man. Your thanks in words will do," Jeff smiled and welcomed the boy in.

Ray shot up from his bow and nodded, "Okay. Thank you," he repeated as he entered the house and knelt down to remove his shoes, placing them next to the others that he saw near the door.

Jeff showed Raymundo into the kitchen, which coincidentally contained the staircase that led down to the basement.

"Jacki is down there," Jeff motioned to a door, "You're more than welcome to speak with her while I finish dinner."

He then picked his bowl of batter back up, continued stirring and glanced over to check his recipe book.

"Thank you, Mr. Spicer," Ray opened the door, took a deep breath and headed down the stairs.

Jeff chuckled to himself as the boy closed the door. _Mr. Spicer. Why does that make me feel so old? _

The walk down the stairs was a dark and ominous one. The only light to guide Raymundo's steps came from the cracks around the door frames at either end of the staircase, creating an even more frightening experience.

Even though both doors were visible, marching down the stairs seemed to take an eternity. The air felt thick and sticky in Ray's lungs. With the constant fear of being attacked by a cobweb, the young monk guarded his face with his hands until arriving at the bottom of the staircase.

Without turning back, Ray hesitantly tapped on the door before him.

Meanwhile, Jacki had been studying a matter-manipulation spell, but paused when she heard the knock on the door, "Ugh. I'm busy, Jeff," she mumbled to herself.

_Still, this is a good time to practice this new spell._ She figured as she checked her spell book one more time.

As per the book's directions, Jacki lifted her right hand and focused all of her energy into her palm. Then, she extended her fingers, shifting her focus into each one at a time. Once her fingers were completely spread out, she felt a chain of power connecting her to the door. Using the strength of this magical bond, Jacki was able to shift the latch with a twitch of her thumb and open the door by pulling her hand back slowly. Any fast motions could have severed the chain.

The instant she saw Raymundo's face at the door however, her focus collapsed and she gasped in shock. _What the hell is he doing here? How did he find my house?_

Ray simply waved meekly at the stunned girl, "H-hi there, Jacki. May I come down and talk to you?" He requested timidly.

At first, she was at a loss for words, but shook it off and decided that she could spare him a few minutes. It would have been rude not to and she figured that it wouldn't do her any harm. She nodded and beckoned with her hand, "Yeah, sure. Come on down."

Ray's heart felt a jolt of glee and he scrambled down the stairs.

The feeling of being in such a personal environment with his crush was surreal to the young monk. As he stared into her eyes, he almost forgot why he had journeyed all the way to her house. Just being with her in such an intimate setting was more than he could handle.

However, an irritated look on Jacki's face brought him back to reality, "Well, are you going to say something, or just stand there staring at me like a lost puppy?"

As his brain started to function again, Ray shook his head to erase his dumbfounded reaction and prepared himself to speak.

"S-sorry. Um, I really do not know the best way to say this," he chuckled, making a sad attempt to lighten the atmosphere and calm himself down.

_Dang it! I played this scene in my head over and over! I thought of thousands of ways to present this. Why can't I think of one? _He wrestled through the jumbled mess of thoughts in his brain, searching for a way to avoid seeming foolish.

Jacki was slightly amused by the boy's frantic and sheepish reaction. Yet, something inside of her hated to see him suffer and fight with himself.

She figured she might as well help him out, "If you have something to say, just say it. I don't care what words you use. Don't worry about making a fool of yourself or anything. Just speak what's on your mind."

Although her speech was harsher than what Ray was accustomed to hearing, he took her advice to heart. He bolstered his confidence and took a deep breath to calm himself down before speaking.

"Well," he let out his breath and allowed words to flow out along with it, "I want to renew my offer to you about joining our side.

"But, before that, I would like you to explain to me why you are on the Heylin side in the first place. Why do you not wish to join the side of justice?"

Ray's prepared himself to be trampled on by Jacki's response. He felt relief for getting things off his chest, but knew to expect resistance from her.

"Justice?" Jacki shot a puff of air through her teeth, "Pft! That's what you call it? Letting people live like idiots and do whatever they please is not justice. It's anarchy."

"We do not let people do whatever they please! We punish criminals. Bad people are put into jail every day to keep them from hurting others," he did his best to defend all of what he knew about the modern justice system, remembering that the temple supported crime-fighters of all sorts.

"That may be true," Jacki conceded, flipping one palm up to the side, "But on the other hand," she mimicked her previous gesture on the opposite side, "A justice system that lets a prisoner out early (which happens quite often, in case you didn't know) under any circumstances is completely corrupt.

"And what about all the little kids that are bullied on the playground at school? What about people who get into fights over stupid, trivial things? What about so-called 'lovers' who abuse one another in their relationships? What about people who face discrimination everyday of their lives just because they are different from the norm? You and your 'justice system' are never there to help those who really need it. People suffer in silence every day and are shot down when they reach out for help.

"And don't even tell me that they don't really need help. People that develop mental disorders and go through pain every moment of their lives on account of abuse need help more than anyone. We live in a world where hate and discrimination are normal. I can't let that go unchecked. Controlling everyone in this world is the only way to truly bring justice. Order must defeat chaos, and I'll gladly be the one to represent it."

Ray was flabbergasted by her logic. Everything that she said made sense. He did not doubt that it was wrong, but he could not find any flaws in it. He concentrated for a moment, trying to think of some way to retaliate.

"But if people were to have no freedom at all, what would be the point in living? That would be an awfully boring world, if you ask me. Sure, we can't stop all of the bad things that happen in the world, but that doesn't mean that we need to control _everything_.

"I know that there are bad people out there, but there are good ones as well. Maybe if you just met a few of them, then you would understand."

Ray took a step closer to her and extended his hand as he had before, "The monks at the temple are very kind, trust me. We will help you find a better life. If you just come back with me, I promise you that-"

He was cut off by Jacki shoving his hand away and glaring at him, her eyes laced with fury, "You just think the Xiaolin are all that, don't you? You must think that you're all just so perfect, huh?

"Well, you're not. I can tell you're just trying to get me to switch sides because you're afraid that I'll defeat you!"

She paused for a moment and brought a finger to her lips thoughtfully, "Or is it something else? Is it because you can't deny my logic, but you don't want to be punished for opposing your masters? Or, _maybe_, it's because you _like_ me, don't you? You want to have a pretty girl on your side for some eye candy every now and then, huh?"

She leaned in closer to him and the sweet, floral smell of her perfume assaulted his nostrils, clouding his thoughts once again.

It was a combination of all her suggestions at this point. However, Ray knew that if she found that out, then his chances of recruiting her would be greatly diminished.

He struggled to collect his thoughts, "N-no! I simply wish to protect the world and keep you from throwing your life away. I wish to see you fight for true justice. I know that you would make a wonderful ally."

She glared straight into his soft, handsome eyes, but refused to get lost in them as she had before, "That was a lie. I know that you were lying. A person's pupils dilate when they lie."

Ray's mind became a jumbled mess once again. _Oh no, really? I didn't know that. Why did she have to know something like that? _He began to feel sweat dripping down his forehead as he scrambled for a way to defend himself.

"Well, maybe I do like you. So what? You like me too, so why shouldn't we be on the same team?"

Even though they had not been moving, it felt as though everything in the world came to a screeching halt at that moment.

Jacki's eyes popped open in shock, "Waaaaaait a second! Back up!" She spun her hands in circles to simulate a reverse-spinning motion as she leaned away from him, "What did you just say? _I _like _you_? I've got news for you Mister-"

Just as she lifted her finger to make a point, her father pranced into the room, "Hey, you two, dinner is ready!" He smiled, completely unaware as to the gravity of what he was interrupting.

Both the teens heard their stomachs gargle simultaneously. Neither could resist the temptation of food.

"We'll continue this conversation later," Jacki shook her finger in Ray's face, intent on keeping control over the situation.

The atmosphere at the dining table was less than pleasant.

Jacki glared menacingly at Ray from across the table. _Don't say a word. If you say anything stupid with my dad in the room you will never know the meaning of peace again._

She did not need to speak her thoughts. Ray could gather everything from the spiteful look in her eyes.

Still, he worried that the silence would make her father uncomfortable enough to inquire, so he decided to make small talk, "These pancakes are quite delicious, Mr. Spicer. What kind of fruit is in them?"

Jeff smiled, grateful to finally receive a compliment on his cooking, "Some have bananas and others have blueberries and raspberries. I got the berries at the farmer's market yesterday. Don't they taste wonderful?"

Ray nodded and swallowed his mouthful, "Absolutely. They are very fresh. We rarely find berries this sweet at my home."

"Is that so? Where do you live?"

The young monk froze as he dipped his forkful of pancake in a puddle of syrup on his plate. The dough began to absorb the syrup, turning into a saturated, sugary mush as he searched for some kind of answer to Jeff's question.

At the other side of the table, Jacki stared him down even more intently and lead him to believe that telling her father the truth was not a good plan, "W-well, I'm not from around here. I-it is kind of a small town, you probably would not be familiar with it," he stuffed the goopy pancakes into his mouth, hoping that the conversation would change direction before he got into any trouble.

Jacki decided to bring up a new subject, "So, Father, this syrup is quite tasty. Where did you get it?"

Jeff was surprised at his daughter's inquiry, as she was not usually one to initiate a conversation. He took it as a sign that she wanted to prevent him from finding out the truth about Ray's home, which made him slightly uneasy. Yet, he did not want to upset his daughter or seem rude to his guest, so he followed along with Jacki's topic.

"I got that at the farmer's market as well. It's real, fresh-pressed maple syrup from an orchard not too far from here. I know that you and your mother love real maple syrup, so I bought it, even though it was a bit more expensive."

"Well, it was worth the money. This is some of the best syrup I've ever had!" She took another bite and gave Ray a pleasant, yet oddly threatening smile, "Wouldn't you agree, Ray?"

The young monk nodded, perhaps too frantically to avoid arousing suspicion, "You bet! I love it, even though I have never even had syrup before…" He scratched the back of his head, slightly embarrassed to say so.

Jeff chuckled, "Well, I'm glad to have made your first maple syrup experience a good one!"

Both men laughed and Jacki smiled, happy to see that they were getting along. Even though it might complicate things later, the fact that they all were having a good conversation gave her a warm feeling inside her chest.

She hypothetically slapped herself to snap her mind out of its sentimental lapse. _Crap! Not the warm, fuzzy feeling! Go away! I'm evil, evil, _evil_! Conquerors of the world don't get melodramatic. I've got to stay focused._

The fear that she would lose control and let her emotions get the better of her judgment was one of the few things that Jacki truly feared. Feelings were what led people to do stupid things and she refused to let herself become just another foolish member of the human race.

Even though she knew that her father would give her hell later, she had to get Ray out of her house, and out of her life.

She placed her utensils on her plate calmly, "Say, Ray. Would you like to go talk outside when you're finished eating?"

Her tranquil temperament confused the young monk, but he figured that it would be a great opportunity for them to finish what they had started in the basement. Fresh air always helped him relax as well, and he could use that after such an awkward dinner.

"That sounds great."

His smile was met by a cold reaction from Jacki, who stood up and began to walk away. Without even looking back at him, she responded in a flat, emotionless tone, "I'll be waiting for you in the front yard. Come out whenever you're ready."

As she walked out of the room, both Ray and Jeff were silent. Neither of them knew what to say. There really was nothing to say at that point. Jeff got the feeling that his daughter had something very important to say to their visitor, and that it was nothing good. Likewise, Ray had the suspicion that another battle was on the horizon between the two of them. These understandings made the end of the meal no less awkward than the beginning, with most of it being drawn out by silence.

Ray ate the majority of the pancakes and sausage on his plate. He was still slightly hungry, but did not ask for more. His upbringing had led him to believe that asking for seconds was rude and he wanted nothing less than to seem unappreciative to his kind host.

"Thank you very much for the meal. Where should I put my dishes?" He placed his utensils on his plate in a similar fashion that Jacki had.

Jeff noticed the few bites that the young man had left on his plate and was slightly puzzled by his somewhat meager appetite, "Are you sure you wouldn't like more? There's plenty left. Didn't you like it? You didn't even clear your plate. Most boys your age can eat twice what you did!" He chuckled a bit, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Ray shook his head, "No, I mean, yes. I enjoyed the meal very much! It is just customary in my home to leave a bit of food even after you finish. On the contrary, it shows that one is quite satisfied with their meal and that they do not need more," he figured it best to explain his manors, knowing that many people were not familiar with them. In the modern age, many old traditions and mannerisms had been lost. This was something that Omi and Dojo had let him know in the past.

Jeff did not completely understand, as these ways were new to him. Still, he figured it best not to question them. The young man's actions appeared to be well-meant and polite, which he very much appreciated from a boy of that age.

"I see. You can just leave them there then."

"All right," Ray shifted the remaining bits of food to the edge of his plate with his knife, "Thank you again. The meal was delicious."

"You are very welcome. Now, go ahead outside. It's best not to keep my daughter waiting," Jeff chuckled slightly.

Ray joined in, his laugh revealing a considerable amount of nervousness, "Yes, you are probably right."

Jacki was sitting patiently among the branches of a ginkgo tree when Ray came out to meet her.

"Hey! May I climb up there with you?" The young monk called up to her from below.

She shook her head, "No, that's fine. You can stay down there," her words seemed to be more of a command than a suggestion.

Ray assumed it best to remain where he was, "So, um, have you given any more thought to my offer?"

There was a heavy amount of sarcasm in her response, "Well _duh_. It's all that I could think about. Why else would I have been sitting there glaring at you the whole time?"

He felt stupid for asking, but was determined not to let it mess with his head. He retaliated in complete earnest, being careful not to play the fool, "So, then…What do you say?"

Even though she had denied him so indecisively at first, Ray still clung to the hope that she would change her mind. People were fickle creatures. She could realize her mistakes at any time. What better time than after getting to know one another better and having a nice dinner? He felt that spending time together had built a bond between them, one that they could possibly call 'friendship.'

Jacki, however, did not feel this connection, "My answer is still no."

The words ripped a hole in Ray's heart. The world fell to pieces around him and all he could hear was her voice, repeating the word 'no' over and over again. She sounded so absolute in her response. He began to doubt whether she would ever change her mind. He wanted to fall to his knees and beg, but knew that it would not impress her.

"Why?" He could not think of anything better to say. He was nearly out of ideas.

She sighed, "I've told you why. I want to fix this corrupted hell-hole," she took a pause and hopped down from the tree. There was no longer a need for physical distance to symbolize the gap in their morals.

Jacki felt that getting in Ray's face would put more impact on the next topic she wanted to bring up, "But anyway, let's get back to what we started earlier."

The young man's mind was so trapped in the moment that he could not even recall what she was referencing, "A-and what was that?" He stammered weakly, hardly able to speak from the pain clawing at his chest.

"You know…" she leaned in, bringing her nose nearly an inch from his, "The whole thing about me 'liking' you."

His heart jumped, sewing itself together again._ That's right! Maybe she will agree to be with me. We could enter a relationship, and then I could convince her. _

The devastation of her complete rejection blinded him to the faults in his logic. His entire thought had made no sense, but he did not care. He only wanted to cling to his last shreds of hope. Hope was the only thing that gave his life purpose. He had felt all throughout his life that if he lost hope, then his life would become meaningless. He refused to give up on the one he cared for.

"Y-yeah"

After this first word, Ray felt the lock in his throat break and his mouth began to spill out every thought that was in his head, "We could go out sometime and become boyfriend and girlfriend. Then we would have time to talk more and get to know each other better. Maybe we would learn to agree and work together. What do you say? Would you like to go out with me sometime?"

His smile was so pure and innocent that it made Jacki want to spit in his face.

She was growing sick of his immaturity. This boy knew nothing. He was so foolish and oblivious of the horrors that existed in the world. It nearly hurt her to look at him. His delusion exemplified yet another flaw in the human race.

Her eyes narrowed and a few pieces of hair fell in front of her face, making Ray aware that what he had said did not have the effect that he had hoped it would, "Don't make me puke, boy. You are the biggest idiot I have ever met. What makes you think that I like you?"

At first, Ray tried to convince himself that it was a joke. _She must be kidding. This must be some sort of test._ _I know so little about women. Heck, I have never even spoken to a girl before!_ He made an attempt to rationalize his cluelessness.

"You, you kissed me. That usually means that someone has feelings you, right? Why would you kiss me if you did not like me?" The boy had little understanding as to what these 'feelings' were, but something in his heart assured him that he was not entirely wrong in what he said.

Jacki sighed and averted her gaze, finally becoming too disgusted to look at him.

He attempted to stop her and save his argument, "A-and we had such a nice dinner together. I really enjoyed spending time with you. Did you not feel the same? We could have so many more of those great moments together. Please, just listen to me!"

His legs became unable to support his weight. The gravity of his emotions forced him to fall to his knees.

Everything in the world began to fade away as he let go of his hope, finally realizing that she was utterly denying his requests. Life became a black pit, with everything around him drifting away into nothing. What had given him the will to live was now crumbling and disappearing before his eyes. The grass beneath him, the trees before him and even Jacki herself faded away into blackness.

The young witch had seen more than enough of the hopeless boy.

There was neither pity nor kindness left towards him in her heart. Only pure disgust remained. His very existence revolted her, so she decided to end it.

She recalled a deadly spell that she had been studying a few days before and began to summon a mass of dark energy into the palm of her hand. A swirling, purple and green disk appeared above her open hand. The weapon had one purpose; slicing Raymundo in two.

The young monk could not see his doom approaching and had no instinct to run. He could only stare vacantly at the ground, feeling no desire to continue living anyway.

Just as Jacki drew back her hand to deliver the final blow, a yellow blur dashed in front of her and snatched her prey away.

She panicked, afraid that she was under attack.

After tossing her energy-saucer aside and leaping into a cypress tree to hide, she surveyed the yard for some sign of an ambush. She was relieved to see nothing more than one old monk, holding Ray in his arms, with a small dragon on his shoulder.

She giggled, but did not let down her guard, "Is it just you? Didn't bring any reinforcements, I see. Who are you two?"

The elder monk placed the motionless boy on the ground, "Yes, it is just the two of us."

The man turned to face her. His round face glared defensively, "I am Omi, this young man's teacher. And this is Dojo, our dragon friend."

Omi knelt down to get a better look at the young man's face. Ray's eyes were completely glazed over, showing no signs of consciousness.

His self-induced trance would not be an easy one to break. The human mind was a powerful thing and Omi knew that Ray's had utterly immobilized itself.

"Dojo, watch over Ray for a moment," he commanded, leading the little dragon to hop down from his shoulder so that he could confront Jacki independently.

The young witch was not intimidated by her new adversary. She leapt down from her perch in the tree, landing gracefully on her feet. The height of the fall sent an intense pain trembling up her legs. However, she ignored it, hoping to seem more frightening by her sturdiness.

"So, are you going to give me a lecture about 'justice' and everything like he did?" She directed an accusing finger at the lifeless Raymundo.

Omi only shook his head in a silent 'no.'

Jacki had much more to say and did not give him an opportunity to speak, "Your boy really is an idiot. Were you the one that made him so foolish? Didn't you teach him anything about how filthy and corrupt this planet is? He'll never make it in the real world."

The master responded to her rant calmly and maturely, "He may not be my son, but I have raised Raymundo his entire life. I have taught him what is right and what is truly just. He has a strong soul, full of hope and courage.

"You could never understand the joy that he has. You are a heartless witch idolizing a madman.

"Your grandfather was a fool. Though, if you wish to follow in his footsteps, then I cannot stop you.

"However, I refuse to allow you to harm my student in such a shameful way. His model in life is far beyond yours. His grandfather was a magnificent man and Raymundo himself is no different. He may not be as strong a fighter as his forefather yet (and he may never be), but his spirit is perhaps the most powerful that I have ever seen. Your words cannot break him."

Omi's wisdom was cut short by Jacki's evil cackling, "Is that so? He looks pretty broken to me! Should I do the same to your face that I've done to his heart?"

She focused her energy into another disk and felt a sensation course through her that she had never felt before. This was evil; a pure, heartless bloodlust. She wanted nothing more than to see her enemies lying dead before her. Nothing else mattered. A red hot fury pulsed through her, living in the very blood that fueled her muscles. Her heart rate began to quicken and her head felt swollen with rage. A pressure between her ears blurred her vision and a bloody pigment seeped into her peripherals. This was the feeling of unadulterated hatred, and she loved it.

Omi saw the young woman's eyes become bloodshot and knew that she was ready to battle.

However, he did not want to fight with her. There were more pressing matters at hand. Thinking of what would be best for Raymundo, he acted quickly.

"Wudai Neptune: water!" He summoned his elemental powers to call upon a thick cloud of mist to block Jacki's vision and stifle her breathing, giving him time to escape with Dojo and Ray.

Jacki felt the haze descend upon her and her lungs choked on the saturated air.

She could no longer see Omi, but still fought through the cloud and struggled to find him, "No! I'm not finished with you yet! Where are you?"

Nevertheless, by the time the fog had faded, there was no one left to answer her calls.

The bloodthirsty hunter screamed in fury at her lost prey, "NO! Damn you! Get back here, you cowards! Come back and fight!

"You haven't seen the last of me, I swear it! Know this, Xiaolin monks: you will all bow to me one day! You will worship the name of Jacki Spicer, evil Heylin witch!"

Her maniacal laughter filled the evening air.


	7. Epilogue

Epilogue - Return to Normalcy

Ray awoke the next morning in the temple's medical room, lying on a thick, soft bed.

As comfortable as it was, he could not feel a thing. His heart was still numb in reaction to the shock of the night before.

Omi, who had been sitting next to his bed and watching over him all night, noticed that he had opened his eyes and rose to approach him.

The young man was hardly able to register what was going on when he saw his master peer over him.

Ray had been certain that he had died. He had lost his will to live. He figured that if he had nothing to live for, then he would stop living. Yet, here he was; looking up at his teacher, breathing and thinking coherent thoughts once again.

Omi laid the back of his hand gently on Ray's forehead, checking him for a fever, "Welcome home Raymundo. Are you all right?"

At first, the young monk could not speak, as his mind had not fully recovered. However, as he felt Omi's hand move the hair from his eyes, he began to feel a gentle, healing energy radiating from his master.

His mind wrestled back to reality and he was finally able to form words, though they were weak and meager, "U-uncle Omi? What happened? How did you find me?"

The elder monk smiled softly at his disciple, "Dojo told me everything. We followed you to Jacki's house to make sure that you would be safe.

"Besides that," he wiggled a piece of paper in front of Ray's face, "this note would not have convinced anyone. You and I both know that I would never have let you go off into the mountains to train alone. You are my student. I would have at least gone to see you off."

Ray let out a tiny snort, which was the most that he could manage in the realm laughter. A sense of gratitude prevented him from being upset about Dojo breaking their promise and telling his secret.

At the same time, however, every one of the young man's emotions seemed stifled. He could do little except wonder why he was still alive.

Omi could sense the battle that was being waged within Ray's soul, "Raymundo, do not let the words of that witch harm you. I know that you care for her deeply, but she is evil and does not feel the same affection towards you. Her only reason for paying you any mind was so that she could hurt you. Regardless of what sick enjoyment she got from teasing you, it does not mean that you have done anything wrong.

"At any rate, she is our enemy now. I will need you to join us in battle against her if the need arises. Can I trust you to do this?"

It took Ray a long time to answer. He could not imagine bringing harm to someone he cared for. He was about to deny his master's request when something suddenly struck him.

_Why do I care about her so much?_

As he pondered this question, it became clear to him that he probably only had feelings for Jacki because she was the first girl that he had ever met. Perhaps it was not even love that he felt and simply physical attraction. Either way, the feelings were there. He could not deny their existence.

However, Ray realized that he could not let his emotions get in the way of his judgment. Jacki was not his sole purpose for living. She was his enemy, and he would have to fight her to protect peace in the world.

"Yes, Uncle Omi. I will fight her to the end. It is my duty as a Xiaolin warrior to defeat evil, and I will never again neglect this task."

Pride once again filled Omi's heart as he heard his student's words, "I am glad to hear you say that Raymundo. You have become a fine young man."

"Well," Ray shifted, ignoring his aching muscles, and sat up in his bed, "I did learn from the best."

As his student smiled at him, Omi began to feel tears of joy welling up in his eyes. He put a hand on Ray's shoulder and turned away to hide his crying face, "Thank you. That means a lot to me."

The young monk chuckled softly, "You are welcome, Uncle Omi. And I _can_ see you crying, you know."

Seeing Omi cry did not make Ray think less of the old man. In fact, he felt even more respect for his teacher, as he could tell that Omi must truly care about him.

Knowing that his master would risk death to save him made Ray understand that his existence must have had a purpose beyond what he had previously considered. He was young, strong and full of hope.

Omi could tell that Ray was thinking about something. His gaze became vacant and he did not seem to be focusing on what he was looking at.

The elder monk decided that it would be best to leave him alone to think, "If you are in need of anything, Raymundo, do not hesitate to call for me."

Ray nodded as his master left the room.

The young man chose to take advantage of his recovery time by thinking some things over.

His first issue to address was his purpose in life. What was it? Up until recently, Ray had simply been living and not giving any thought as to what he wanted to do. Sure, he had constantly mentioned bringing honor to his grandfather's legacy, but what did that really mean? What did it mean in terms of action?

_Hm…Becoming a great warrior cannot be the only thing I can do to honor my family. That would not be the only thing that my grandfather would want me to do. Uncle Omi has told me a lot about him, so I know he cared about more than just fighting. What else can I do to honor him? _

_What would you want me to do with my life, Grandfather?_ The young monk looked up into the sky, as if to seek advice from Raimundo's fallen spirit.

He did not hear a voice, but he did feel a gust of wind breeze by him. Looking around, Ray could not see any open windows that could have let in a draft. A shiver shot down his spine at the thought that it had been a supernatural occurrence.

Then, he understood that it was a message from his grandfather. The breeze felt warm as it wrapped itself around his chest. He felt a new sense of courage and wisdom approach him and he welcomed the knowledge with an open heart.

_Thank you Grandfather. I think I understand now. _

_You want me to be myself, right? You just want me to make the most of myself and do what will make me happy. _

_You are right. The only thing that matters is that I make my life great. I have to create my own purpose in life. Other people will not do it for me. I will become the strong, courageous and confident man that I have always strived to be, just like you. _

The gust swirled around him once more and he smiled as it buffed the top of his head, as if to give him a noogie.

He realized that what other people said about him long longer mattered. What mattered was that he made the most of his life and became someone that he could be proud of. That would bring more honor to his family than anything else.

After two days of rest, Ray felt fully recovered from his traumatic experience and got out of bed with more vigor than ever.

The young monk realized that he had not seen Omi since their first conversation after his rescue. He decided to search for his master so that they could speak of his revelation.

_Uncle Omi will be so proud of me!_ He grew a cheeky grin as he wandered out onto the temple grounds for the first time in nearly a week.

Even the simple act of walking felt surreal. His sense of awareness was keener than ever. Every step on the soft grass seemed as though it was his first. As each blade sprung back under his feet, he almost felt as though he was gliding over the ground. He took a deep breath in and fresh air rushed into his lungs. It cleansed his entire body and filled him with a sense of freedom.

He suddenly had the urge to roll around on the ground, and decided not to deny it. He fell backwards and twirled rapidly, feeling the dew-covered grass soak his robes and send a cool sensation through his entire body. The short, green blades tickled his cheeks and a flower found its way up his nose, causing him to sneeze. He began to laugh in pure ecstasy, filled with the simple joy of being alive.

After trashing about in the grass for what seemed like hours, Ray brought his mind out of its euphoria and back to the mission he had set out for earlier; finding Omi. He rose to his feet and shook the chill off of his clothes.

Minutes of searching turned into hours and Ray began to worry. _Where could he be? Even Grandpa Dojo seems to be missing. Uncle Omi never leaves the temple for very long, especially not without leaving someone else in charge…_

Even after asking many of the other monks, the young man had no clue as to where his master had gone.

Fear began to creep into his mind. He was not afraid for his master's life. Omi was too strong to be hurt very severely by anything. Rather, being unsure was what frightened Ray the most. He wanted to know what was going on, particularly where his master had gone.

Then, it hit him that this was probably all one big joke. _I bet Uncle Omi is just messing with me. He will be back soon. I will just wait. _The young man giggled to himself and headed off to the training arena to flex his stiff muscles.

By the end of the day, Omi and Dojo still had not returned.

Yet, Ray refused to let it get to him and was still convinced that it was some sort of prank. Dojo loved playing jokes on people, after all. It had most likely been the devious little dragon's idea.

Ray went to sleep on his mat without giving it another thought.

The following day was similar to the last, unnerving the young man once again. This joke had gone far enough.

He went around asking the other monks where Omi and Dojo were, but got exactly the same responses as the day before. No one knew where they had gone.

_All right, where the heck are they? _

He sighed in exasperation. _I guess I will just train and do my chores as usual._

That evening, Ray had nearly finished his duties when he heard a gong being struck. At first, he feared the worst and thought that Jacki had returned.

But, once he listened closer, he realized that the sound was not that of a warning gong. Contrarily, it was one that signaled an event of salvation.

He contemplated ignoring the alarm and continuing with his chores until another monk rushed up to him from behind, "Raymundo! Come quickly! Master Omi has returned, and he has brought visitors."

The man could barely finish speaking before Ray was on his feet, dashing out of the hall and leaving the floor half-clean.

The evening sky was dark, as the sun had just finished setting. However, it was a clear night, with stars and a half moon gleaming brightly in the atmosphere.

Dojo landed on the lawn and shrank down to size as three riders hopped off his back.

As Ray approached, he could see that Omi was one of them, along with two others that looked quite different from the Xiaolin monks. The young man noticed that one visitor was rather husky and towered over nearly everyone present, while the other was not much taller than he and very slender. Yet, Ray paid little mind to the two new faces, and rushed to meet his master.

"Uncle Omi! You have returned! I am so glad. I was starting to worry when I did not see you yesterday," he glanced back towards the visitors that accompanied his master, "Who are these two?"

Dojo vaulted into Ray's face and began to shake the young monk's head, quite offended at being ignored, "What about me? You weren't worried about old Grandpa Dojo? I feel so unloved," the little dragon covered his face with the back of his arm and began to sob.

"Dojo, I don't think that's what he meant. I'm sure he's just as glad to see you," a woman's voice spoke in a comforting tone as the little dragon let go of Ray's face and fell to the ground.

"Yeah Dojo, y'all shouldn't feel unloved," the burly man, whose speech slightly puzzled Raymundo, knelt down to pat the dragon affectionately on the head.

Dojo looked up, his filling with tears, "Thanks guys. You're the best. I'll leave you all alone now so you can chat," he slithered away and headed into the main temple hall.

The group surveyed one other in the moonlight.

Ray could sense that these visitors were not bad people and was suddenly very excited to meet them. Although, he did not recognize their faces, he felt as though he already knew them somehow.

Omi took the liberty to introduce them all, "Ray, these are my old friends, Kimiko Tohomiko and Clay Bailey," he gestured towards the pair and they smiled, with Clay tipping his large cowboy hat and Kimiko giving a charming wave.

Ray's eyes lit up and he gasped in awe. _Kimiko and Clay? _The _Kimiko and Clay? Wow! I can hardly believe it. I have always dreamed of meeting them. They are living legends!_

Omi continued the introductions, "Kimiko, Clay, this is Fong Zhe Raymundo. He is the grandson of our late friend and leader, the grand dragon, Raimundo."

Ray bowed deeply, snapping at the waist so quickly that he nearly tipped over, "I-it is an honor to finally meet the two of you. Uncle, er, Master Omi has told me so much about you," he tried to use his best manners, despite the jumbled mess of excitement and awe racing through his head.

Clay and Kimiko looked at each other and laughed, flattered and amused the young man's reaction.

The cowboy placed a huge hand on Ray's shoulder, "Been all good things, I hope!"

The young man felt dwarfed by Clay's towering stature. However, surprisingly, Ray was not intimidated by it. In fact, there was a kindness that radiated from him that made the young monk feel comfortable in his presence.

"Yes Sir! Good things indeed! I have heard about all of the heroic things that you accomplished while you lived here. I always loved when Uncle Omi told me stories about you when I was young."

"He calls you 'Uncle?' That's so cute Omi!" Kimiko giggled and Omi's face turned a bright red that was even visible in the evening darkness, "It's great to meet you too, Ray."

Ray bowed again, "Thank you very much."

The group was interrupted by the sound of the dinner gong, and Clay's head perked up at the sound.

"Hoo-wee! I'd never ferget that sound. Let's go grab us some grub!" The cowboy rushed off, making himself perfectly at home.

Kimiko and Omi looked at each other and laughed, "Go figure, that's probably the only thing that he remembers about life here, huh?"

"You may be right. He even left his luggage here."

Omi lifted Clay's luggage and observed the ox head printed on the side of each bag, "Ray, would you please take Kimiko and Clay's belongings to my room? You may leave them anywhere and then join us for dinner."

The young man nodded hastily and gathered up the bags, "But, I still have a few chores left to finish."

Omi chuckled, "There will be time later. Right now, we all need some time to unwind and have a good meal."

"Aw, you sound just like old Master Fung," Kimiko gave Omi a big hug and the little monk's cheeks flushed.

"Thanks for taking care of my bags, Ray."

"It is my pleasure, Ms. Kimiko."

She let go of Omi and smiled, even though she was slightly bothered, "Just 'Kimiko' is fine. We're all friends here, right? No need to be so formal," in truth, she had simply been disturbed by how old the title 'Ms.' made her feel.

"If that is what you prefer, Kimiko.

"Now, if you will excuse me," Ray bowed one last time and took his leave, being extremely careful to balance their luggage.

Omi and Kimiko then headed off to the temple, hoping to grab some food before Clay cleared it all out.

"He seems like a great kid, Omi. You've done a wonderful job raising him. I can tell," she noted as they walked.

Omi nodded and glanced admiringly in the direction that Ray had run off, "Yes, he is an amazing young man. He came from a great ancestry as well."

The two both stared up into the sky. Looking closely, they thought for a moment that they could see Raimundo himself, staring down at them from above through the stars.

Dojo accompanied the group of four to dinner, and the atmosphere was refreshing. After some small talk to lighten the mood, they began to converse about where Kimiko and Clay had gone with their lives.

Kimiko had assisted her papa with running their toy-making business until he decided to sell the company and retire. After that, she had founded a school for underprivileged orphans and ran it as headmaster. She had left the school to one of its graduates and withdrawn to the position of a substitute instructor just a few years before Omi contacted her.

Clay, likewise, had gone home to help his father run the Longhorn Ranch. After a few years, his daddy had unfortunately passed away from prostate cancer and Clay had sold the ranch to some fellow cowboys that lived nearby. He had gladly remained as their farm-hand for quite some time, but was delighted to take leave and visit his old friends.

The conversation was a wonderful chance for them to catch up and exchange a number of fun stories. Nevertheless, there was business to be discussed, and Omi was the first to bring it up.

"So Ray," the master began as he swallowed a mouthful of pork dumpling, "I bet you are wondering why I have brought Kimiko and Clay here."

Ray nodded, not speaking since his mouth was filled with rice.

"Well, it is because of the current situation with Jack Spicer's granddaughter," Ray's heart still felt a sting at the mention of Jacki.

"Now that we have a new evil to battle, we will need all of the help that we can get. It was an agreement between the three of us that Kimiko and Clay could leave the temple because we had nothing left to fight against. They had no reason to remain. However, now that the Heylin side has grown capable once again, we may require their assistance.

"We do not know if Jacklyn is acting alone, nor do we know for certain how powerful she has become. It pains me to bring my friends back and pull them from their peaceful lives, but this is what must be done. We, the Xiaolin dragons, must fight the Heylin until the very end. "

Everyone else at the table nodded in mutual understanding of their mission. Their common goal created a bond between them. It gave them reason to continue fighting and cooperate.

In silence, they all agreed to work together and never let personal problems get in the way of their duties. They also came to the consensus that their bond would never break, regardless of what happened. Even under the most pressing circumstances, they would never give up and would fight until their last breath. That was the Xiaolin way, the way of their ancestors and the way of their former leader, Raimundo.

Dojo sighed, not at all happy with what he was about to say, "Well guys, it looks like everything is back to normal."


End file.
